Echoes
by Loki Nishizaki
Summary: Gone with the wind.
1. Chapter 0 : History

**Title: **Echoes.

**Author: **Loki Nishizaki  
**Beta:** None

**Email: **I have a livejournal, but I rarely actually use it. It is useful if you want to reach me quickly though.  
**Rating: **Most probably M or NC-17  
**Warnings: **Violence and maybe some mild sexual content. Don't hold your breath though.**  
Pairings: **Kyuubi and probably Morrigan, though that is subject to change. As far as I know, he could end up with Kurenai.**  
Summary : **This is an entry in Kraken's Ghost's Fall/Winter Contest. You can find a better summary there. It also won second place.**  
Credits: **Naruto is a concept owned by Kishimoto while Darkstalkers is owned by Capcom.

* * *

As a young boy, ten years of age, Uzumaki Naruto was seen as being both childish and mature. The most common outlook was shared by everyone that spent a minute in his company. His excessive boasting, the extreme embellishment of his non-existent adventures, skills and overall intelligence and the many diverse pranks, creative as they may have been, all contributed to his perceived immaturity. 

The maturity in his personality could only be seen after spending enough time around the boy to realize that no matter how much the boy postured and no matter how he forced himself to act; he wasn't and would never be a normal boy. In Naruto's lifetime, less than a dozen people managed to realize this fact. Surprisingly, most of these are or were at one time enemies.

Naruto bore no sugar-coated illusions when it came to his future and his aptitude in perceiving possibilities was second to none.

He knew that if he became a ninja, he would die. Sooner rather than latter. That knowledge didn't stop him from trying his hardest to become a genin, hoping to gain as much respect and trust among his peers as he could.

Unlike most of the children, he knew what road he was on and he knew where it would most likely end. It didn't stop him from moving forward, hoping that he would eventually reach a concealed junction. He knew that when his life came to an end, it was highly likely that he would be cold and alone. He also knew that his death wouldn't be as meaningful as he'd like. It would've been great if his death was a sacrifice for the greater good, but he knew he wasn't that lucky. His dream was to become Hokage before death caught up to him, because even though he had no idea why he thought like that, he knew he was living on borrowed time.

Six years later, on the way back from a covert solo mission… the last grain of sand fell from his hourglass. The top container was now empty and the bottom was filled with grains coloured both blue and red.

Even though he could see the dead end he was heading towards and acknowledged its probability, that knowledge didn't affect his pace in the least. Naruto possessed the capacity to move towards his own death, while possessing full knowledge of that fact. What makes this dangerous is that perception normally decreases the closer you get to death. Naruto is an exception in that to him, he wasn't walking to his end; he was walking towards the small opportunity that was concealed behind it… the opportunity that couldn't be seen from far away, the one that could only be found if you looked closely, with great care. To find it, you had to look for it at all times. That constant vigilance depends entirely on belief and perception.

In spite of all that has happened to him, in spite of all the sadness he felt and the hatred he was subjected to… Uzumaki Naruto has never felt despair. He has never completely lost hope. He always believed. Now that he was at death's door, that fact didn't change. He was still active, taking care of loose ends before his hourglass broke … hoping that these last actions would help those who deserved it and grant him the death he'd always wanted.

He knew it would be confused when it woke up and even now that brought a smile to his face. He was sure that it wouldn't understand why he'd do this. Truthfully, he wasn't certain himself.

He had once sworn that he wouldn't let anyone die because of him… maybe that was why; maybe it wasn't… it didn't really matter.

For a second, as he kneeled in the murky waters of their special place contemplating his upcoming actions, he doubted. He doubted the beast, he doubted his nindo, he doubted the Fourth and he doubted his sanity… all in a mere second. Then he realized it, this most important truth. He had a good… a great feeling.

If he did this, Konoha would survive. If he did this, the shattered remains of Akatsuki and their alliance with the Sound would undoubtedly fail. Yes… Konoha would thrive.

Was that not what he had fought for?

_Yes. It was._

Was that not what he had _lived_ for?

_Yes. It was. _

Was he willing to die for this? For them?

_Yes. They hated me… because they were human. That's why… I loved them more than anything. I wanted their acceptance. I wanted… to be human… just like them. So I'll do it, because I love them… imperfections and all._

Uzumaki Naruto always trusted his feelings. For better and for worse, it was too late to change. His last thought before he executed his plan was about the close friends he had gained, the family he had forged from the flames of his existence. Only the strong could stand the heat. They were the best… the greatest… humans.

Chouji, Shikamaru, Ino, Shino, Kiba, Hinata-chan, Neji, Lee, Tenten, the Konohamaru corps and the closet pervert, Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, everyone at Ichiraku ramen and in wave country, Temari, Kankuro… Gaara. He hoped Gaara would be okay.

Ero-sennin, Tsunade-baachan, Shizune-neechan, Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan… even Sasuke.

_I hope you can forgive me. Even though we were only together for a short time… I'll miss you._

After taking one last look at the sleeping beast (_Probably one of the seal's safeguards_), Naruto took a step towards sure death. If he did this, he knew his chances of survival would become nil. Ero-sennin stomped that knowledge deeply into his brain: Releasing a bijuu is always fatal.

It didn't stop him… and for some reason, it still didn't feel like he was giving up, like he had lost. So… maybe it would really, truly be okay. And maybe… maybe he would be able to see them again…

In a long, never-ending dream…

So ended the life of a true patriot.

* * *

Throb…

Throb…

Throb…

The rhythmic sound of a beating heart.

With a sudden start, a delightful jet of awareness, it realized that it was in the presence of air. It tried to fill its lungs with the gas but the passage was blocked by a large object. Judging by the sharp pain in his throat, not only was it in a body, but that body had a sharp metallic instrument obstructing the passage of air.

The first tactile information received by the Kyuubi since its imprisonment was the pain from his wound. The second was that the metallic mass, possibly a kunai, was positively chilly. The Kyuubi felt a wave of euphoria overcome it… it had been so long since it'd felt anything that even its current situation was an improvement.

If it had been thinking clearly, it would've realized that something was off right then. The Kyuubi was rarely elated, and when it was it was when it was in a middle of a killing spree. The absence of any type of cruel thoughts should have also clued it in, but it was simply too happy to think clearly.

It wouldn't last.

Soon, it concentrated on its senses and what they were telling it. The cool rain on its head informed it that it was outside. It would've fallen into another joyful trance if it hadn't realized the crisis. It could feel the chill from the rain on its face… but there was a disturbing lack of feeling from the rest of the body.

Quickly, the Kyuubi activated the external diagnostic ability that it had obtained from a gelatine creature as a backup to the nervous system and was momentarily overwhelmed by the rush of information sent by its youki. However, it quickly mastered itself and analysed its findings. Two wounds, the wound in the throat and a similarly shaped wound severing its spinal cord. It was lying on its side and its nervous system was disconnected. Its body was paralysed.

The lack of any other injury indicated a surprise attack so the Kyuubi paid attention to its other senses in order to search for its attackers. Through the steady buffer caused by the falling rain, it could detect two men a few feet in front of him. The decreased visibility provided by the rain and the lack of consideration given to a presumptively dead body would work to its advantage.

Slowly, it concealed its youki and heavily accelerated the healing of its spinal cord. While it could move using the diagnosis ability to focus its chakra outside its body to artificially unite its nervous system, it would drastically decrease its reaction time. A few seconds later, the kunai lodged in its back slowly slid out as bone, tendons, flesh and nerves were created in its place. By the time it fell to the ground, the wound was completely covered by fresh unmarred skin. Neither attacker noticed.

As soon as it was no longer paralysed, the fox could afford to be noticed and risked healing the wound in its throat. The wound healed at an incredible rate and soon its chest began to expand as it took its first breath in over a decade and a half. The act went unnoticed.

Now that it was out of immediate danger, base instinct took a back seat and true conscious thought made its triumphant return.

_What the fuck?  
_

* * *

The being known as the Kyuubi no kitsune, the Great Demon Lord Kyuubi and the berserker void has long been the object of intense research and speculation among human demonologists and their demonic counterparts. Absurdly powerful and impossibly ruthless, Kyuubi is best known for throwing away its name and replacing it with the designation of an entire species.

Consequently, there is no longer any being in existence with the potential to become a kyuubi, a nine-tailed fox. All were killed during the kitsune holocaust. A fact that few ever acknowledge as truth for fear of its repercussions is that the genocide was planned and executed by a single being. Apparently, Kyuubi felt as though two things with the same name could create confusion and decided to save everyone the trouble. First it began by challenging his fellow Kyuubi and ended their existence when they failed to measure up to their title. When it was the only Kyuubi left, it decided that it would save itself some hassle and began to slaughter the eight-tailed foxes in anticipation of their ascension.

By the time it stopped, it was the only kitsune left.

In its natural form, a nine-tailed fox's fur is silver, white or gold. It is said that the Kyuubi's own ivory pelt was forever tainted by the blood of its brothers. To date, it is the only kitsune to ever bear that particular pigment of red and at this point, it is the only one that ever will.

A particular point of interest among demonologists is that no one has ever seen Kyuubi actively use any abilities. The only skills apparently available to it are the passive ones accessible to all kitsune, such as a large youki well, immortality, an above average healing speed and increased physical attributes. Of course, Kyuubi took these gifts to a ridiculously high plateau with its interminable youki supply, its near instant regeneration and its disproportionate physical strength, even for its size. In ages past, various kitsune have been recorded using an amalgam of abilities, such as shape-shifting, flight, the creation of innate flames and a natural affinity with genjutsu. At the root of those abilities lied intelligence that while collectively lower than humans, was still relatively high on the food chain.

In opposition to the rest of its species, no one had even heard the Kyuubi verbalize anything more than frenzied growls and grunts. Its sparse conversations with its host are the only examples of higher thinking, but Naruto had neglected to mention those with anyone.

Whether this was by design or circumstance isn't known by anyone.

What is known only by itself and those long dead is that Kyuubi is a natural prodigy. It is a genius, not unlike some mortals, with the will and the meansto shape the world like clay.

Many, _many_ years ago, after it had received its last tail and still found itself power-hungry, Kyuubi used its vast intellect to trick one of the strongest demon lords in Makai and succeeded in temporarily weakening it and drawing it away from its castle. After a long and gruelling battle, Kyuubi emerged victorious. It dragged its injured body throughout its victim's home, destroying much and searching far and wide for the source of the demon's unnatural power. Once it failed to find evidence of such an artefact, it reasoned that it must have been lodged in the demon's body. Kyuubi's weary mind failed to activate its danger triggers and it promptly limited the unconscious humanoid demon and proceeded to consume it.

There is a reason why demons do not eat each other… or at least, why they do not devour one that comes anywhere near their own level of strength.

On that day, the Kyuubi became the strongest demon in existence… and on that day, its mind and personality was corrupted by an incurable toxin. Kyuubi would change and he would not be aware of it. That day would become the most important day in history.

The day Kyuubi ate the head of the Aensland family, Belial.

* * *

Kyuubi was dreaming. Odd as he rarely slept and his dreams were never anything more than the constant repeat of old bloody memories. Everything he perceived was provided by his own mind and the peculiarity of the dream only proved that his tenure as the boy's personal battery was poisoning him.

In the dream, he was not an it. He was a human male. He was Naruto, the human he knew best and the one he understood least. His subconscious had created a world where he was the single most irrational mortal ever. Kyuubi had watched Naruto since his imprisonment and he has never understood him. Naruto's response to situations constantly surprised Kyuubi and he had never been able to successfully predict the boy's actions. That would be a problem.

In its considerable experience, a dream lived on until it was seen through to its end.

_If I cannot see this through to the boy's final destination, I'll just make my own path. I should be able to escape this once I reach an end, even if it's one of my own making._

Kyuubi opened his blue eyes and was immediately struck by the detail of his surroundings. Kyuubi did not believe in primitive defence mechanisms such as denial and so his dream theory took a strong blow. However, he realized that he was in complete control of Naruto's body, something that his warden would never allow. In fact, he couldn't even feel the boy's presence. Immediately the error in that statement jumped to his attention and he realised that this was something other than a dream. He could _always_ feel the boy, even during the few times when the seal's influence became too much and forced him to fall asleep. Even during the weeks and sometimes months the seal prevented him from influencing the boy in any feasible way, it could never completely isolate him from the boy. They were linked, whether the boy liked or acknowledged it.

But now, now he was gone… and something in his senses was altered. Everything was clearer, sharper and more colourful than he could remember them being, though the boy's body did have better senses than most of its species, a fact which was demonstrated on the brat's first mission when he managed to detect a jounin missing-nin specialized in silent murder. In fact, he remembered thinking that the teacher's dismissal of the act only reinforced his incompetence. Kyuubi considered the hypothesis for a second before dismissing it. The boy's senses were reasonable, but they still should've been inferior to his own.

What Kyuubi didn't know is that the demon he swallowed modified his original body before it was completely dissolved and absorbed. It subtly but surely reduced Kyuubi's ability to perceive the outside world, with a single exception. While everything else lost clarity to Kyuubi, blood was always vividly highlighted in a beautiful crimson, so much that its sight and smell pleased Kyuubi immensely. It was only the first of the many changes Kyuubi's original body underwent while it consumed the demon. Changes that do not affect his new body.

* * *

There are five official kingdoms of organisms in ningenkai, known as the animalia, plantae, fungi, protista and monera kingdoms. Among these kingdoms, two species have been heavily influencing all others for thousands of years. The animal that can create, the blank slate, the human being and the parasite from another world, the demon, classified under both animalia and fungi.

When the first contact between the human and demon world was made, demons were far different from their current forms. The first demons were shadows, parasites, beings of great power but little stability. When they first ventured into ningenkai, they took the opportunity to assimilate themselves with the local species. The great majority stole and perverted bodies from the animal kingdom to gain greater stability and control over their own power.

Demons may be extremely powerful, but humans are proficient. Humans possess extremely little innate knowledge; they barely have anything in the way of instincts. The source of their power comes from their acquired knowledge, their capacity to adapt by creating, learning and using tools and techniques, their experience, their arts. Demons on the other hand rely entirely on their instincts and their innate preternatural equations, both terms falling under the greater whole of formula. Power measured at birth determines social standing because most demons are incapable of self-improvement.

A preternatural equation is a formula capable of converting MetaBioPhysical energy to produce a specific effect. It can be stored within the genetic code or the spiritual infinity, DNA or the soul. A good example of a preternatural equation in humans is how an Uchiha uses chakra to morph his eyes into the sharingan, the Uchiha uses MetaBioPhysical energy, in this case chakra, to trigger and fuel an effect, the transformation of his eye into the sharingan.

Demons rely on both formulas to survive, though the only real difference between them is that one requires energy to function or exist. For example, movement and general agility is knowledge that demons, like most animals, are born with. They are capable of advanced movement mere hours after birth, while it can take up to eight months for a human child to learn how to walk.

Preternatural equations are more complex in demons than human's bloodline limits. With a suitable equation, MetaBioPhysical energy can be used to do most anything, from creating pocket realities, to legion summoning, to precise control over elements. Kitsune-bi, foxfire is an appropriate example of such an equation.

A forgotten fact is that Kyuubi is one of the few demons to ever obtain foreign equations, even though he obtained them by eating other demons and creatures (the only difference between a demon and a creature is that the demon is hostile to humans), instead of allowing himself to suffer the loss of will in exchange for another demon's power by becoming his familiar. Other powerful demons only use what comes to them naturally. That is the difference between the demon's skill and the human's technique. One is natural, the other isn't.

Ultimately, demons are a part of nature, they flourish in it. Humans do not. Humans live where they should not; they strain the limits of their own flesh with their arts and go beyond them with the use of tools. Their very survival changes nature more every year. It is part of why demons and humans have never gotten along. Naruto did not know this when he released Kyuubi, nor did he know that it would be trapped as a human if he did. An immortal human, but a human still. His actions… would have consequences.

The connection between the two worlds was sealed by the demons themselves when Kyuubi passed through. They expected him to rampage and destroy until nothing was left. They were killing two birds with a single stone; they would be rid of their two greatest scourges, their greatest enemy and their greatest burden. To watch over the world, they left beasts numbering eight, with tails corresponding to their station to observe and ravage the land. Some of them were defeated or captured by humans, but some survived and are still free. With them they carry the means to open the gate once more and when they truly realize what has happened to the Kyuubi… the strongest of their number turned into an enemy…

But for now, they remain ignorant and for now, the two worlds remain separated. Relative peace will remain within the realm of humans… for now and hopefully forever.

* * *

Tell me what you think about it, or more specifically, what's wrong with it. By the way, I might possibly be susceptible to influence, especially when it comes to pairings. Maybe. Drop me a line and who knows? I could end up taking your suggestions.

If you give me an idea you should also tell me if you'd like to be credited for your contribution.


	2. Bleak omens, unknown passions

The concept of reality marble is owned by Type-Moon, though I did change the rules somewhat. It's probably more of a pocket universe now.

* * *

"You had no right!" exclaimed the infuriated boy in a sad and bothersome attempt to vent his anger and desperation at the most convenient target. Kabuto had always known about Sasuke's anger management problems and wasn't surprised in the least by the teenager's actions, though he couldn't help but reminisce fondly about the magical period when Sasuke entered puberty and his voice began to deepen. Since the Uchiha's voice had an embarrassing tendency to shift octaves mid-speech, the boy spent much of that time with his mouth shut. Truly, those were the days. 

Kabuto slowly and deliberately reached for his glasses and adjusted their position on his face, pointedly ignoring his companion. Sasuke's predictable reaction came without delay as his pale visage slowly reddened in anger and his fists simultaneously tightened and reached for his blade. Kabuto merely narrowed his eyes and glared in silent disapproval. Sasuke was always quick to anger, much like the boy whose corpse now lied bleeding a few feet away, but he had been taught otherwise. He was an Uchiha. In their world, anger never bestowed might. Kabuto waited as Sasuke visibly struggled with his fury then spoke in a serene and authoritative tone, exactly like a chuunin instructor he had been assigned after he'd been brought to Konoha. "I saw an opportunity, which gave me all the right I needed. The mission always comes first Sasuke. He was in the way and obstacles are made to be removed," said the young adult in an attempt to placate the volatile youth.

"Not this one! Not like this!" bellowed the petulant voice, defeating his feeble attempts at composure. Evidently, no amount of logic would help Sasuke understand and experience had taught the medic that the young man was incapable of coping with the simplest of difficulties without help. In that respect, he was remarkably similar to Orochimaru.

Unfortunately for his charge, he'd been instructed to report to his lord as soon as the blonde jinchuuriki's death could be confirmed and it was taking everything he had to resist the suggestion imprinted in his blood. Just as he was about to gently incapacitate his incensed ally, his finely tuned senses picked up a faint emanation. Suddenly, the impulse to debrief his lord faded into an artificial desire for execution. The ninth was a cadaver no longer.

It was a good thing he hadn't rendered Sasuke unconscious, because there was no way he could handle Naruto alone in a one on one fight. The boy had managed to keep up with him when he was just a snot-nosed genin and he had no reason to believe he wasn't completely outclassed now that the blonde had over three years additional training. The concentrated youki trickling from his body didn't help his odds any. He kept his silence as he watched the fox jinchuuriki climb to his feet. At his side, Sasuke had already drawn his blade and was standing in a defensive position, his sharingan glowing as he studied his opponent. If the medic-nin had to guess, the boy's cocksure grin would die in a quick and horrifyingly painful fashion. The Uchiha may have thought he knew he was up against, but he was obviously delusional if he was actually looking forward to it.

According to the knowledge that his lord had imparted him with, youki and chakra were essentially the same thing, the only difference between them being specialization. Chakra, like its users, is all-purpose, with no real weaknesses or strengths. Youki on the other hand depends highly on its user's specializations. A youkai with a weakness towards water will find it nearly impossible to use suiton techniques, if he even manages to obtain one, and the natural defenses granted to it will be reduced when faced by that particular element. However, the opposite is also true. A powerful youkai that has potency with wind will have no peer in that discipline and will be practically unaffected when confronting it.

That fact would've been far more useful if Kyuubi had any known weaknesses. Since that wasn't the case, he had been instructed to use as many different techniques as possible against the beast in an attempt to uncover it, so that, even after he was ripped apart, his lord would be able to use the information to its advantage. A small, powerless copy of his master's personality had been grafted onto his soul in order to gather information and keep him on the 'right path'. The information gathered would immediately transfer to his master whenever his life was ended, however as long as he was still alive there wasn't any actual connection between them, so all debriefing had to be done in person. It wouldn't do for an enemy to be able to track the boss down by using an underling.

Somewhere, in the distorted amalgam that was his personality, dying (against his will) for the sake of a demon, the cause of a bijuu, was like a dream come true. A sentiment that was imposed on the rest of his personality, who's source was entirely synthetic.

Somewhere else, relatively close to the origin of the first feeling, a suppressed feeling of self-preservation desperately sought attention, only to be ruthlessly pushed aside. A sentiment brought by habitude, convention and fear of the unknown.

And somewhere far, far away… in the deepest, uncharted recesses of his psyche, a little boy abandoned on a battlefield awaited his end. Not with dejection or reluctance, but with indescribable… and disturbing anticipation. Silent tears escaped his black eyes as he contemplated the atrocity that was his soul, a conjoined monstrosity.

Felo-de-se.

A feeling experienced by most humans when they understood a single truth.

Death before inhumanity.

* * *

The three stood silently, forming a scalene triangle, raindrops flowing down their bodies and spreading their chill through to their bones until Kyuubi's youki condensed enough to appear in the visible spectrum and the liquid coating him vaporized causing mist to begin spreading around his body. 

Kyuubi was silently offering them a chance to explain themselves before he made a decision, but it appeared that his miraculous recovery and all-around greatness was intimidating them, shocking them into speechlessness. No matter, he'd simply ask.

"Any last words?"

Unfortunately for Kyuubi, his lack of experience in the art of the conversation left him woefully unprepared to actually lead one. It didn't help that his main example of human interaction consisted of an ostracized youth in a village full of taciturn ninja. When you consider the fact that Naruto was usually less reserved around his enemies than his friends, you're left with a self-assured hazard and two fairly belligerent ninja. Neither group was likely to back down from a fight or even consider actual dialogue.

"You've gotten cocky, Naruto," said Sasuke before Kabuto could formulate a proper response. "I think I'll remind you why you're…"

"What? Dead-last? You're so predictable. Though I wonder what I expected from someone as deeply entrenched in the past as you are." said Kyuubi, smoothly disrupting Sasuke's speech. Judging by the lack of a rebuttal and the slight widening of his sharingan eyes, almost as though he was probing for trickery, it wasn't the reaction he had expected and as Kabuto predicted, Sasuke's grin was cleanly wiped off his face.

As for Kyuubi, he found himself guided by a compulsion to speak. Words with no known source spilled from his lips as a feeling not unlike sadness assaulted him at the sight and sound of the young Uchiha. Kyuubi, like many others, did not react well to pain. He had a tendency to lash out at its source, usually in a satisfyingly physical manner. However, information made itself readily available about the boy he was facing and he quickly uncovered a fact about Sasuke that Naruto knew but never dared to exploit: sticks and stones would be avoided, but words could always hurt him. Slowly pasting an expression of complete disinterest on his face, Kyuubi set out to do the one thing that would invariably destroy Sasuke's composure.

Releasing a soft sigh as he gently rubbed his forehead, an expression he'd stolen from Naruto's instructors that denoted the end of tolerance and the beginning of a headache, Kyuubi slowly shook his head before speaking his mind.

"Look, I know we're supposed to be enemies and all, but I've got better, more important things to do than deal with two sound-nin. So how about we all just turn around and head our separate ways. Whatever we would've accomplished today could be done another day."

Of course, Sasuke danced like a puppet on strings.

Sasuke's expression slowly contorted from shock into a snarl as he fiercely articulated his message in a sharp whisper, his anger palpable to all, his fist clenched around his sword's hilt and his sharingan's three tomoe slowly beginning to twirl. "Who the hell do you think you are, Naruto? Do you think you can just dismiss me like I'm…?"

"And why not?" said Kyuubi as he once again crushed Sasuke's momentum. "Is it because you're the 'great Uchiha Survivor'? Let me clear your mind Sasuke… you're no survivor. Your brother left you alive, you didn't _survive_ anything… you are a remnant, _residue_." rationalized Kyuubi, his… Naruto's voice soft and clear, as he detailed his argument to Sasuke.

Sasuke exclaimed in a tone that probably would've been frightening to anyone else. "You bastard! How dare you!"

"Dare?" asked Kyuubi as though it were a true question. He chuckled lowly, wickedly before addressing Sasuke once more. "You need to get over yourself Sas… no, I think boy suits you better since you refuse to grow up." mocked Kyuubi spitefully.

Seconds before Sasuke could let his rage escape in the form of a thunderous roar and attempt to transfer all his hurt to Kyuubi in as a painful fashion as he could; a voice which had been ignored spoke up and delivered its conclusion to all its observations. "You're not Naruto."

* * *

As both of the old team-mates turned their gazes onto the traitorous medic-nin, one in disbelief, the other in veiled suspicion, Kabuto slowly shifted his glasses, this time in response to anxiety. 

Kabuto took hold of his nerves (and the not too subtle suggestion pressuring him) and elaborated before either decided to interrupt.

"It's obvious really… you're too calm, objective and spiteful to be Naruto," said Kabuto in an attempt to defuse the situation. His master's will had changed after it acknowledged Naruto's current identity. Apparently, dealing with a jinchuuriki is encouraged, but dealing with the beast itself was highly warned against. His current task extended to gathering information. Combat was unacceptable. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of a way he'd be able to leave with Sasuke without exchanging blows.

"And if you're not Naruto, then that only leaves…" Kabuto trailed off and left his sentence incomplete. Further words were unnecessary as the point was already understood. Kabuto watched as an unnatural, forced calm took hold of Sasuke as the Uchiha slowly turned his sharingan towards 'Naruto'.

The 'boy' was standing over two dozen feet away, still too close for any kind of comfort, with his head hung low and his wet hair drooping over his eyes, obscuring them from view and putting all the more emphasis on his wicked smile.

The three stood in suspended animation, simply letting the tension accumulate until Kyuubi began to softly snigger which quickly escalated into full blown laughter, the likes of which sent shivers down the sound-nins spines. The alleged demon's mirth proved frightening, not only because of the being's reputation, but also because of his chosen body. Neither could've expected Naruto's voice to terrify them so, but the effect delivered by Kyuubi's use of Naruto's voice was truly grotesque.

When his mirth receded and allowed him speech, Kyuubi demonstrated exactly why he wasn't a ninja.

"You're right. I am Kyuubi, last of the kitsune." revealed Kyuubi as he began to applaud in a sharp, intermittent manner. "Well, well, well… you don't even know me that well and you still got it. I wonder if it lends credit to your intelligence or your partner's incompetence," said Kyuubi condescendingly.

Sasuke didn't even twitch.

Kyuubi's smirk only got larger. "So the marionette won't dance to my strings? No matter, after all… the show must go… on." said the fox before erupting in a fresh wave of chuckles.

"What do you want?" asked Kabuto cautiously.

"What makes you think I want anything?" answered Kyuubi, abruptly interrupting his laughter and in the process proving it fabricated.

"Not only haven't you attacked, you're… talking to us." explained the spectacled man. A quick glance to his side assured him that him companion was smart enough to let him handle this. As far as Kabuto could tell, the Uchiha's newfound self-control was directly related to the recent revelation. Apparently, his old team-mate's words still held far more influence in the youth than the medic had previously believed or could've predicted. Since the young man they were facing wasn't his old friend, his words were having far less of an effect.

For a few seconds, Kyuubi's eyes glazed over, as though he were totally hollow but before Kabuto could capitalize on it and attempt an escape, liveliness returned to the boy's form and it appeared surprisingly thoughtful, both for the demon and the body's previous owner. When the fox answered the question, it was with a disabling calm. "True enough. I haven't been able to organize my thoughts since I woke up, so my purpose isn't exactly clear right now. All I really know is that I want to keep a promise and hurt Sasuke like he hurt his friends when he left."

Perfect silence… the tricky demon managed to catch them both completely blindsided. Before Kabuto could ask the obvious question, or attempt a near suicidal escape with his charge, Kyuubi decided to elaborate. He embraced a previously unknown yearning to express himself as he began pacing and revealing the results of his short but accurate analysis.

"Right now, I'm in a period of self-discovery. When I woke up earlier, I was operating on a purely reactionary basis, I wasn't truly conscious because I was almost completely cut off from my own self, the aspect of a personality you humans call the ego. Even after I started to interact with the self-absorbed pompous ass that fancies himself an avenger, I hadn't gone past surface thoughts and feelings…" addressed Kyuubi as his pacing slowly reduced the space between them.

Kabuto barely repressed the shiver caused by the chill that touched his spine. This whole situation screamed danger on a level that could only be touched by the likes of Orochimaru and his lord.

"When you asked me that question, I became curious and went to look for an answer. The results weren't quite what I expected. You see, Naruto is dead." said Kyuubi, in a tone that would've been wistful from anyone else.

"**No.**"

_Like clockwork…_ thought Kabuto with a smidgeon of annoyance at his employer's future shell.

"That's not even what's most troubling. According to this body's memories, Naruto did something that I believed to be impossible. He used his will to shatter my bonds and destroy the o-fuda which was the spiritual representation of the seal. By doing so, he set me free. What I suspect happened is that Naruto must've used pure spiritual energy to destroy the seal. Since he had no instruction in manipulating it, he must've put his whole being in the act of destroying the death god's seal, thereby extinguishing his soul. Truthfully, the amount of energy needed to even dent that thing is more than most hunters could generate in a month. That boy was truly remarkable… a more suitable vessel I never would've found.

"Here's where things get hazy. Originally, before I was sealed, my ego had weakened to the point of being nearly non-existent and I operated solely under the thrall of my id, which consisted of little more than desire for bloodshed. Now, it appears as though a section of Naruto's id and ego joined with mine," neutrally clarified Kyuubi, as though he were dictating objective events.

Kabuto spoke before Kyuubi had a chance to continue, the previously faint suggestion becoming so loud he could've sworn it was almost audible. His master requested… needed clarification. "You're telling me that Naruto's latent and conscious desires became your own?"

The fox demon encased in a human flesh finally stopped pacing and turned to grin at him, the smile itself being every bit as mocking and menacing as the others. "Exactly, now be a good boy and ask the magic question."

Suddenly, his master's 'voice' disappeared, only to leave behind a subtle sense of unease. His lord no longer made any effort to assert its will and Kabuto knew it could only be because he was out of options or because he had gathered information valuable enough to justify his death. He was now completely under Kyuubi's mercy. Desperately keeping hold of the last threads of his rapidly crumbling poise, Kabuto asked one last question. "Why are you telling us this?" If anything, the blonde's grin grew larger.

"What I neglected to tell you is that a large part of my original id consisted of a desire for entertainment. For immortals, boredom kills. I'm telling you this because you're important enough to do something about it. Your actions will have repercussions, which will in turn affect me. That's the name of the game.

"Throw a rock in a puddle and watch the undulations. Really, you should consider yourselves lucky, I remember one demon that could only have fun when bathing in the blood of a hundred virgins… most demons aren't as easily amused as I. Especially now that I've gained some of the boy's dispositions. He was ridiculously easy to please," said Kyuubi with a definitely fond smile on his face. A new train of thought twisted that same smile into a dreadful vision.

The predatory smile drew both sound-nins out of their thoughts and they suddenly realized that the monstrous entity had edged his way closer ever so slowly and was now standing a little over five feet away. The advance was so obvious that they hadn't done anything to stop it. "Oh and before I go, I must fulfill my desire. Prepare yourself Sasuke but don't worry, as long as Kabuto doesn't interfere, I won't kill you. After all, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't keep my promises? I'm sure Sakura-chan won't mind if you're just a little battered." said Kyuubi, laughing derisively before the sound faded into a barely visible dash.

Sasuke was ready. His guard was up and his sword was in his hands, so it was no surprise when he brought it down in a textbook counter once he was sure his assailant couldn't dodge. But Kyuubi surprised both observers when he increased his speed to the point where Kabuto's eyes could no longer keep up with him as soon as he was sure Sasuke was committed to his strike and wouldn't be able to dodge easily.

The Uchiha shinobi saw Kyuubi's muscles clench in anticipation of an attack so he began stepping to the side and bringing up his left arm to block the blow. Unfortunately for the traitor, Kyuubi's arm and leg speeds were equivalent. Kyuubi moved under the diagonal slice and thrust his palm towards Sasuke's chest before the boy could completely step aside.

Since Sasuke only had one foot on ground, the chances of him being able to stop the blow were remote. Instead, he would use his eyesight and hand-eye coordination to push the incoming arm safely away and leave Kyuubi open to a counterattack. Sasuke quickly grabbed the incoming forearm and pulled…

…only to discover the fact that Kyuubi's strength was far greater than his own. The pressure he'd applied to limb had no effect on its course. Kyuubi delivered a perfect palm heel directly over the avenger's chest, pushing him painfully into a tree. Sasuke was left with no breath and a shattered pride, but relatively uninjured.

Kabuto knew the worst part had to be the fact that Sasuke knew his opponent was holding back. Considering the amount of strength he must've put into the attempt at redirecting the blow and his failure in doing so, the strike should've shattered a large part of his thoracic cage, piercing multiple organs in the process. At this point, both sound-nins should've known that Sasuke wouldn't win in a taijutsu contest. Kyuubi was strong enough to ignore blocks and fast enough to react to Sasuke's sharingan induced reactions.

So it came as a surprise to the medic when his charge simply pushed off the tree and began attacking with as much skill as he could muster. Sasuke's blade sang as he danced in the rain, slicing through air and severing raindrops but never did he come close to hitting Kyuubi.

…Probably because Kyuubi wasn't standing anywhere near him. Sasuke was fighting an enemy only he could see.

"An illusion?" whispered the medic, rightfully surprised. Sasuke's sharingan were activated and mildly swirling in response to his frustration, so he shouldn't have been affected by any sort of illusion.

"Yes. It is an illusion that is completely indistinguishable from reality. By using an equation innate to all kitsune, I can use youki to modify the appearance of reality on a level completely outside the visual spectrum, so it doesn't show up even when scanned by doujutsu. As a plus, since it's an area-wide effect it can't be disrupted by normal genjutsu countermeasures." explained Kyuubi as he approached Kabuto.

Kabuto examined possibilities for all of a second before coming to a conclusion. The illusion was simply perfect. He voiced his opinion only to be contradicted.

"Not really," admitted the blonde as he leaned against a tree and watched Sasuke fight against what was essentially nullity. "The illusion can be broken rather easily. All it takes is doubt. If you distrust what you're seeing, it simply won't affect you."

"…No wonder you're so confident. Sasuke will never see through your illusion. He has complete confidence in his sharingan… he'll never think any further," said Kabuto, realizing the fact that his companion never stood a chance. His opponent simply knew him too well.

"True, so while we're waiting for him to exhaust himself, I'll allow you to ask three questions. I might not answer, but I guarantee I won't lie."

The first question that came to mind was, "Why?"

"I'm levelling the playing field. I know lots about all of you, but you know nothing about me. Winning… no, playing is boring when there's no competition. Two questions." answered Kyuubi.

"How many preternatural equations do you have?"

"Too many to remember, and I won't even ask you how you came to know that term. Last question?"

There was only one thing he wanted to know. "What's your weakness?"

"I have none," said Kyuubi, before shaking his head in disappointment. "I thought you would've done better… oh well. Before I end this, I have a piece of advice for you, a lesson for the future, if I one day decide to do this again. Pay attention to the fine details Kabuto. I told you that I wouldn't lie so your first question should've been if that included our previous conversations. It did. You asked, 'An illusion?' and I answered. Your second question should've been…

"Is Sasuke under the illusion… or am I?"

Kabuto breathed in sharply as he considered the possibility and the seed of doubt that had been planted sprouted. Immediately, the blonde standing motionless with the crooked grin dispersed like a grand sand fortress yielding against a tempest. For an instant, he was alone.

Blinking revealed mayhem.

_Oh God no…_

Sasuke was writhing in the mud, ruining his pristine white clothing as he screamed in agony, fear and loss. Half his face was coated with his own blood, rivulets of crimson tears symbolizing his shattered self-control. He was uncaring of the filth covering him as he gently clutched his right eye socket, home of his broken dreams.

His _empty_ eye socket.

* * *

"What most humans refuse to realize is that most bloodline limits and their carriers have a demon in their lineage. I mean, it's called a bloodline limit… whose blood do they think it is? As a matter of fact, Team 7 met the carrier demonic blood, a spawn on our first C-Rank mission. Haku possessed ethereal beauty, more so than our very own team-mate, even though he was a boy. One of his ancestors must've been a truly powerful yuki-onna for him to carry such formulas in his blood. Beauty and winter as equations and serenity as an instinct… though some scholars would disagree. They don't believe beauty is an equation even though there's no such thing as an ugly yuki-onna. You can only learn so much when hampered by preconceptions." said Kyuubi as he examined the warm orb he cradled between three fingers. 

Of course, what Kyuubi meant to insinuate is that the Uchiha clan and their Hyuuga cousins were also spawn. He kept to himself the fact that he had no idea what demon had mutated the original Uchiha. He knew that the original Hyuuga carried lynx blood, from which they gained the formulas called clairvoyance and secret-keeper, though the latter has been in decline during the last few generations.

There was a reason the Hyuuga clan was so fanatical about their secrets and contrary to popular opinion, it didn't have anything to do with a stick being lodged where it shouldn't. It was simply instinct. Of course, it was entirely possible for one to go against their instincts but most never actually bothered to do so. What intrigued him is that somewhere along the way, a Hyuuga's formulas… mutated into something he couldn't recognize. He knew their original lynx blood was still present in the Uchiha even though the equation had changed from clairvoyance to divination, but the other abilities came out of nowhere. Maybe he'd have a use for the eye as something other than a lure after all…

But there was plenty of time to do so later. For now, he had to impart knowledge onto the clueless little overwhelmed medic who was currently operating on a heavily sedated Sasuke. Immobilizing him had been incredibly troublesome for the older traitor and had brought Kyuubi no small degree of amusement.

For a moment, Kyuubi wondered if paying half an ear to his lecture would decrease the chances of Kabuto performing a successful surgery, only to dismiss the possibility. Kabuto would be a pretty shoddy medic-nin if he couldn't operate while distracted, even if transplantation was relatively complicated. He'd offered one of his eyes as compensation for the one he had taken so Sasuke wouldn't have to kill one of his subordinates to get a replacement. The pain was inconsequential and he had regenerated in a few minutes anyway.

Kyuubi couldn't help but wonder. How would Sasuke take seeing his old comrade's distinct eye every time he looked at his reflection?

"Truthfully, demons are somewhat limited when it comes to personality. Few ever bother to step outside the limits set by their own existence," continued the old being. "It's why I enjoyed my time here so much. Humans are just so much more. No two of you are exactly alike."

"So you didn't mind being imprisoned?" asked the spectacled man without interrupting his work, chakra shining from his hands as he operated.

"Not particularly. What most of you mortals seem to forget is that I am immortal. Prisons don't mean anything to me because I can't lose time. For a human, twenty years in a jail cell is terrifying because in that time he doesn't improve, he doesn't learn anything and that is a tragedy. You're wasting time you won't get back.

"I will live until someone kills me. Like I've said before, the only thing I fear is boredom and confining me inside Naruto was _anything_ but boring. If he had been loved by his peers than it probably would've been a lot less entertaining, but the sheer amount of conflict he went through every day was quite satisfying," said the escaped convict, faint amusement toning his voice.

Kabuto was nearly surprised enough to botch an incision. "So Konoha's treatment of the boy actually pleased you?" asked the man neutrally.

Kyuubi wasn't nearly as restrained. He laughed for a good long while before reasserting his statement. "Ironic isn't it? That's the prize they get for being foolish," said the ancient in a mischievous tone that nearly perfectly emulated Naruto's. It was enough to make Sasuke twitch.

"…Why did you take his eye?"

The question didn't affect Kyuubi's good mood and relaxed manner as he easily answered. "He broke Sakura's dream when he left, so in turn I took one of his. He should be thankful really, I could either harm his chances to kill his brother or I could render him a eunuch. Not much chance of rebuilding the clan when he's shooting blanks," said the fox, sincerely amused. To him, it wasn't much more than an elaborate and mean-spirited prank. After all, it wasn't like he'd destroyed the eye.

"You're lying," stated Kabuto cautiously. The last thing he wanted was to offend the demon.

No offence was taken. "You're confusing a lie and withholding information. I meant what I said. Just because I also wanted to make sure he'd seek me somewhere along the line but before he decided to go and get himself killed by going after his brother doesn't make the first part untrue."

Kabuto's confusion almost broke his concentration. "Why do you keep answering? It just doesn't make sense."

Kyuubi only sighed. It was difficult trying to explain something to someone who lacked an essential concept… and he wasn't exactly the most experienced teacher in the world. "Not to a mortal ninja, no. What you need to understand is that none of you stand any chance whatsoever in defeating me when it comes to combat and that includes assassinations. I don't die easy! You can't kill me! Get that through your head. I know you ninja solve all your problems with murder so it's probably a little hard to comprehend. I'll tell you right now, your only chance is to outsmart me and you can't do that without any information. You're a genius medic, with what you've seen and heard here there should be more than enough info to make a psychological profile. The last challenge I had was Naruto's father and that doesn't exactly count since I wasn't really thinking then… Never mind, this'll probably become less confusing later when you're thinking straight.

"Well, that should be enough clues for now. So I should get going."

Kyuubi called on his youki, which responded as quickly as if he'd been in his own body, and activated one of the many equations he had collected. A few seconds later, a perfectly spherical inch thick sheet of ice isolated Sasuke's eye, preserving it from all change. The ice itself was impossibly clear and resembled a beautiful blue tinged crystal. If Sasuke had been aware, he would've found the ice to be disturbingly familiar.

Kabuto watched on in awe. Kyuubi had used no handseals and the medic was smart enough to realize just how much of an advantage that really was. If the physical prowess shown earlier had been genuine, then his attack speed alone made him untouchable. The fact was that forming handseals took time and if Kyuubi wasn't under the same handicap then he could instantly push his attack, even from a distance. Anyone that was his inferior in taijutsu stood no chance whatsoever since they would never get a chance to attack. The medic swallowed to wet his achingly dry throat and asked the question Kyuubi was obviously waiting for him to ask. "What… what was that?"

Kyuubi had to restrain a gleeful grin. It was official; he now liked to hear himself talk. "That was Yuki-onna ice. It's pretty much impervious to changes in temperature, though it can be affected by MBP energy. Crossing her domain to reach her ice castle was entirely tedious, nothing but storms really and it did weaken me somewhat but once I reached it her forces folded like origami. I remember that she tasted oddly sweet and tangy, warmer than I'd expected too," …and apparently brag.

"You… ate…"

"Of course, I told you I had no weaknesses. How d'you think that happened? And summoning that stupid fucking death god won't get rid of me anymore either," said Kyuubi with enough threat to drown a small village.

_It's a good thing he's almost done with Sasuke or he might've botched the operation. If I can trust his actions, then other shinobi won't just accept what I tell them without complaint. This is going to be a pain is the ass, I just know it. I give them two days to get over their fear and attempt an assassination… but maybe that'll work out to my advantage. Once they realize that they can't get rid of me, everything should go smoothly._

Kyuubi gave his last instructions before heading back to Konoha. "Tell this to your boss when you reach him. If Sasuke wants his eye back, he'll just have to come and get it but if any of his sound freaks attack Konoha then I'll crush his stupid fake albino head and everything that fancies itself his ally, including that stupid purple snake of his and the Akatsuki rejects. And if your boss comes as Sasuke then I'll simply gut him then and there. My favour extends to Sasuke only. Snake-face is not a part of it."

Kabuto's face simply screamed his question: What the hell do you care about what happens to Konoha?

"If this is how all ninja react when you change the rules of the game, then you're all pretty much fucked. It's obvious! Naruto was a patriot, even though I can't fathom why. Now pick up your shattered husk and bring it back to Orochimaru. I'm going to have a situation to handle back in Konoha and I don't have the patience left to deal with you," said Kyuubi, his vexation evident.

"You're… going to… tell them?" whispered Sasuke, revealing that he'd paid at least partial attention to their conversation.

"Obviously! Haven't you figured it out? It's a self-imposed rule. I won't lie during the course of the game. If I do, I lose."

"They'll… never… accept you… monster."

Kyuubi's grin flew back on his face like it'd never left. "See, that's what you and everyone else don't really understand. It doesn't matter. Why, you ask? I'll tell you!

"You don't get to have a fucking choice."

* * *

Kyuubi stood, eyes closed, in an infinitesimal dimension where the physical and spiritual stood on equal ground, where time's value was subjective and where matter was infinite, matter under the complete control of its creator. A dimension where limit became intricately bound to the imagination… and where restricted beings could become divine. 

A reality marble, an innate bounded field.

Those assholes stored his body in a fucking reality marble!

It wouldn't have been a problem if his body had still been in Ningenkai, but it wasn't. It had been fully transported inside the marble. And one of the cold hard facts of the world was that matter from a reality marble could not exist outside of it, nature simply wouldn't allow it.

The greatest equation ever created by humans stipulates that Energy is equal to mass times the speed of light squared. Of course, producing the speed of light, let alone multiplied by itself was close to impossible, so they had to find an alternative. Then, after many years of fruitless research, a warrior monk provided the answer. Will, spiritual power contained just as much force as the speed of light. When refined, by meditation and other arts already established by ancient martial arts, it was raised to the second power.

That is how humans discovered chakra, the power to manipulate reality.

For demons, who had known the same instinctually, the application of the formula was what truly interested them. They found a use for it when they realised that Energy divided by will equalled mass. That realization led to the creation of the reality marble, one of the few things that demons had to learn and very few demons had the capability to do so. But one fact became clear immediately. Mass in a reality marble wasn't equal to mass outside of it.

His body was stuck here. It would be crushed into non-existence if he tried to bring it out.

_How? How did they do it? It should've been impossible! There has to be something I'm missing. _

Kyuubi took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Only to come face to face with a pair of giant blood red irises he knew so well.

Since he was the only being left in Naruto, he could now control the appearance of the reality marble, as evidenced by the endless grassy field and cloudless blue sky he was thinking in. The best way to find answers was to gather facts and examine them. More often than not, connections then became evident. So what did he know?

While controlling his youki was still second nature, commanding his original body now required a certain level of concentration. He'd tested it earlier, and it became apparent that even if he could eventually materialize it in Ningenkai, he would only be able to achieve 70 percent of his original reaction speed. In a fight against a speedy opponent, his fox form would only be barely useful and that was only when he was perfectly concentrated. Under duress, his calculations made it clear that he'd be lucky if it could reach 45 percent. The fox's strength and speed were still topnotch so it could still be useful as an attack, but only if it was unavoidable or a surprise-attack.

Now what did that mean? Out of the two bodies he could control, the one he had received from Naruto was now his primary form… and now that he thought about it, he should've figured that out the moment he appeared inside the marble and his spirit took the form of Naruto's body and didn't enter his own. That could only mean he wasn't a demon anymore… technically, possibly… potentially.

Kyuubi didn't know what to make of that. If he wasn't a demon and he wasn't human, because he knew no human would claim him as one of their own, then what exactly was he? He crushed the thought unmercifully because the thought of loneliness made him ache in a way he'd never even imagined before… though if he thought about it, even as a demon he was alone even that wasn't exactly comparable. Self-made isolation and seclusion caused by rejection were in two entirely different worlds.

Shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear his head, Kyuubi instead ignored the faint impulse that hit him as soon as he became alone and concentrated on his most pressing dilemma, his combative capabilities.

When powered by his youki, his current body equalled his old one… when you took into account the proportional difference. He'd never be able to raise tidal waves with his current body because of the difference in surface. When someone of humanoid proportions was hit by one of his tails, he was reduced to mush. If he were to hit that same humanoid in his current body, he wouldn't be able to do the same simply because he was unable to distribute the impact on the whole body. A solid hit to a critical area was still pretty much fatal. Physically, the only differences between the two bodies were their forms and their size.

The real problem was MetaBioPhysical energy storage capacity. His original body was like a battery that held around nine thousand units of energy and since it was in a resting state, it was replenishing it as soon as it was spent at a rate of 100 units every three seconds. However, Naruto… his human body was like a container that carried directly usable energy.

Simply put, energy that wasn't in the container couldn't be used in any way. The problem was that the container could only hold 300 units of energy before it became engorged and started taking damage.

He may have had all his abilities and youki, but he couldn't house more than 1500 energy units at any one time or he'd receive critical damage that would take time to recover from. Each tail contained around 500 chakra units, so his nine tails held half his power. The tails were dispensable and could be entirely drained of youki with no adverse effects, so this body could just barely handle the power of three tails.

He'd be fine as long as he was up against humans but he'd be in trouble if he ran into an enemy with powerful defences. He would need to free his original body if he wanted access to his more powerful attacks but when he thought about it, it really wasn't all that bad. Jounin were the only shinobi with an energy capacity over a hundred and kages usually reached between a hundred seventy five and two hundred.

…He'd been here too long. The longing for company of any kind was getting pretty distracting… so distracting he'd gotten completely off subject. He hadn't gotten any closer to discovering a way to get his demonic body out of this reality marble… another point of interest is that this marble seemed to lack any real source of upkeep. He sure as hell wasn't providing the marble with energy and no marble could be created or maintained without a constant supply of it, so how…

Kyuubi probably would've gone off on a tangent if he hadn't realized that he was hungry. The realization was so odd that it actually stopped his thought process. He had enough energy to go on without food and therefore didn't actually require any sustenance and yet he was still hungry. He craved food and he was plenty dismayed when he realized just what meal he wanted.

Since there were no noodles in the forest where he'd spent the last few hours meditating, he could either go hunting or head back to Konoha. He was actually about to go hunting, but his combined desire for companionship and ramen overwhelmed all resistance. Hopefully he'd be able to get a few bowls at Ichiraku before someone realized the truth… or had the bright idea to ask him a question.

That no lie rule was seriously going to bite him in the ass, but then again, that was the point. Now all that remained was how to get there. He couldn't run there because he didn't know the first thing about stealth and he'd never be able to avoid the ANBU patrols. Flight was effective but not exactly the best way to avoid attention in a village full of ninja that had been trained to feel atmospheric manipulation, i.e. whenever someone used MetaBioPhysical energy. He could hide his youki when it was still in his body, but there was little he could do once it left. He could dampen his emanations, but flight used too much youki to become undetectable. He'd never be able to land undisturbed… and that only left one option.

Avoid Konoha entirely and go to some random village. Of course, if he did that then he'd have to send Tsunade a letter before she granted him missing-nin status, sent teams after him or worse, organized a funeral and he wasn't there to see it… and the postal service didn't exactly include hidden villages.

* * *

The fifth Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, the war princess Tsunade, did not handle worry well. Nor was she able to manipulate grief with any sort of skill. Anger was an emotion that she handled only marginally better. In short, in the words of one self titled super pervert, she was an immature bully with the arm hair of a gorilla. Her favourite methods for dealing with stressful emotions and situations included, but were not limited to alcohol, gambling and a healthy dose of outer pain. 

Right now she was tipsy, teetering on the edge of sloshed and well on her way to blinding intoxication. She was pretty sure she'd broken Jiraiya's hand when he tried to comfort her and she'd been recently congratulated on winning the grand prize in the super, ultimate, once-in-a-lifetime lottery contest. A contest she never entered.

A bigger omen she'd never seen.

Her ANBU scouts reported that Naruto had completed his (nearly suicidal) mission approximately 80 hours ago. If so, then he was 30 hours late. A thought had occurred to her earlier, if an ANBU squad had seen Naruto complete his mission then why didn't they accompany him back? When asked, they had no answer.

They would spend the next few months out of active duty. With no pay. Additionally, their stay in the hospital would not be covered by their health plan.

And Jiraiya dared to claim that she was vindictive. Utterly ridiculous.

A few of his close friends had volunteered to search for him and she'd allowed them to go regardless of the council's protests. A few reports had shown that progress had been mostly lacking. Currently, the leader of all Konoha ninja was alternatively worrying and drinking herself sick in her office while Jiraiya doggedly attempted to soothe her concerns.

Tsunade's inebriated state didn't allow her to crush a few salacious thoughts about her attentive team-mate. The man may have been a pervert, but he was certainly loyal. Before her inhibitions could loosen enough for her to act on her latent desires, an oddity drew her eye and it wasn't long before it drew the hermit's as well.

A single peach coloured unmarked scroll lay deceptively on her desk. It drew much attention because she had cleared her desk of all documents over an hour ago and it hadn't been there when she reached for the white ceramic jar containing her usual brand of sake under a minute ago. It had appeared without either of the sannin noticing its presence.

Dimly, she noticed her companion forming handseals wildly as he examined the scroll for any subterfuge. She stared at him during the few seconds of his terse response, noticing for the first time just how gracefully he'd aged. Her memories of a time nearly 20 years before fit greatly with the man she considered, but not perfectly, like with herself and her vicious traitorous fellow sannin.

With a start, she realized that Jiraiya was the most mature out of all of them, since he had moved on and left his team-mates in the land of arrested development. She would've fully followed that thought to some drunken and ultimately forgotten realization had he not nodded, confirming that the scroll wouldn't explode anytime soon. She pulled herself out of her thoughts and unceremoniously grabbed the scroll and roughly unrolled it, slightly annoyed at the interruption. The adrenaline had somewhat ruined her progress towards a state of total alcoholic abandonment.

The letter was written in flowing, beautiful kanji, an indication of great dexterity. Since she didn't know of anyone who could create such a level of calligraphy, the letter's appearance was all the more confusing. Of course, that was nothing compared to what was actually in the letter.

_To princess Tsunade,_

_If you're worrying about Naruto, don't. I'll ease your mind, he has left this world. Of course, I'm sure you know someone like him doesn't just lie down and die. The fact is that Naruto's final actions will have some serious repercussions on the world, but this letter isn't the place to discuss such things._

_I'll pay a visit to Konoha soon. Get ready._

_P.S. I included a little present for all of you. You should be able to see it on your desk as soon as you finish this letter. _

_The executor of Naruto's testament._

_The last kitsune._

_Kyuubi._

By the time Tsunade's trembling fingers dropped the scroll, Jiraiya, who had been reading over her shoulder, had already opened the small black box previously hidden from their eyes and pulled out the ice crystal containing one of the few remaining sharingan eyes in the world.

Needless to say, Konoha entered red alert for the first time in over fifteen years and prepared for battle.

* * *

While he had always hated leprechauns, he had to admit that their matter displacement equation was useful. While technically he could've used the formula to simply enter Konoha undetected, it was a supremely bad idea to do so. Traveling by way of matter displacement was notoriously known as the worst feeling in existence. It was going to oblivion and back, in an instant that feels like eternity. The sensation alone is enough to break most minds; leprechauns themselves only used it when their hidden cove of treasures was threatened. 

He used the ability so rarely that he wondered if the time he had wasted hunting the damned creature had been worth it. If you took your eyes off the little bastard for a split second, when you looked back it would be gone. Eventually he'd gotten so frustrated that he'd started attacking the green nuisances on principle rather than out of any desire for improvement. In fact, he remembered one obnoxious little shit that had led him on a merry chase through a dragon's cove and of course, obsessive bastard that it was, the delusional reptile attacked, erroneously believing that a giant nine tailed fox wanted anything to do with a large pile of what amounted to little more than shiny stones.

Damn, he was brooding again. He had to start moving or he'd never stop wasting time. All he had to do was get a few bowls of ramen and go see Tsunade. Simple.

* * *

End Chapter 1. 

Yo, PsychoLeopard, I would agree with your point if that was an actual chapter. But chapter 0 was more like a history lesson than anything. I wrote it like that so that if you can't understand a concept you can always turn to the first chapter, instead of having to look through the entire fic. It may not seem relevant right now, but it is necessary, since every other chapter will be built on the foundation that is the first. But don't worry, I'm pretty sure you'll understand when it happens, all of you.

Do me a favor, read and review. I probably need the support.


	3. Conflict

Chapter 2.

"_Now, it's time for you to choose Sasuke. When you left, you took something with you. You broke Sakura's dream, so in turn, I will break one of yours. Choose what you wish to keep, your eye or your virility? How will you defeat your brother with a single eye? How will you rebuild the clan with no testicles? Choose carefully boy._

"_Really? Heh, you care about your brother that much Sasuke? Enough to lose your gonads? You know, I wonder about you… _

"_Well, technically I should obey your wishes and end the Uchiha line here, but a promise was made to Sakura. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't like it much if you came back and you weren't able to sire her children, ne? So I guess I'll just have to do you both a favour and do what's good for you. Little boys shouldn't be allowed to choose by themselves anyway._

"_Whoa! Watch out Sasuke, I might gauge your eye out if you keep moving like that! _

"_Almost… I'm almost done. Aaaaaaand DONE! See, that wasn't so bad, was it?_

"_Now, if you ever want your eye back… come and get it! You know where to find me."_

Sasuke sat with his bare back to the stone wall, the cold relaxing his tense muscles but doing little to appease his misery as he stared at his image reflected in a mirror he'd shattered when he'd entered. His better judgement told him to remove the small mirror shards embedded in his left hand, but he couldn't muster the energy to care. Staring at his disjointed image with mismatched eyes was deemed far more important. He needed answers. What did he do now?

* * *

Massive troop recall. Emergency meeting. Worst case scenario. 

When the council was informed of the situation, they panicked. Suddenly, what many of them had predicted became reality. The beast was freed, just like they had said. According to the letter, the brat would become the end of them, just like they had foretold.

And yet, they were all caught by surprise. None of them had anything prepared to deal with the situation. In her own humble opinion, Tsunade knew it was because none of them had really believed the words that came out of their own mouths. And that just made her hate them more.

Because it meant that they had treated her adopted little brother like he was the source of all misfortune out of simple bigotry, rather than any sort of fear. Fear she could've at least understood, maybe even pitied a little… but those old fools would only get her scorn.

When Konoha was founded, it was established with two controlling influences. The council, seated by civilians and retired ninja who provided the capital and the Hokage, the best ninja in the village, who led the work force and who had final say in all defence matters. After she became Konoha's kage, Tsunade did some digging about her little brother and found some information concerning him in the old man's personal matters. Before Naruto became a genin, the council had used its authority to circumvent Sarutobi's ability to influence his life. Since he was a civilian, Sarutobi technically had very little to say about Naruto's upbringing and unless he wanted to admit Naruto was dangerous and therefore under his jurisdiction, there was nothing he could do about it.

That is why Naruto was brought up in an orphanage instead of being adopted by a willing shinobi family or even Sarutobi's own. It is why he was left to live on his own when he reached the age of four. It is why he was given so little spending money and it is why those same council members were contemplating leaving the country. Each one of them was remembering their own personal transgressions against the boy and the probability that he would want revenge.

None of them seemed to comprehend the fact that Naruto and Kyuubi were two separate beings.

Ignorant little pricks…

However, since this most certainly was a matter of defence, she could and would remove all council representatives from their seats. She would not suffer through their pathetic squabbling and power games in a time like this. No, now was a time for heroes and sacrifice.

A time for revenge.

Many shinobi came out of retirement for this day, this battle. There would be no fear this time, the battle would be seen through to its natural conclusion. They had sixteen years to prepare for this. They knew what they were up against and a few volunteers had learnt the Fourth's last jutsu.

They had learnt from their mistakes, large numbers, the genjutsu users and the weak were all liabilities. The first wave would consist only of the best and the brightest, to test its capabilities. See if 15 years in a cell had weakened it any.

The ones with the best chance of survival, the beings closest to the defunct cage…

…the royal healer Tsunade and her faithful assistant, Shizune…

…Jiraiya, wise man of amphibians and instruction…

…Copy-Ninja Hatake Kakashi, man of a thousand techniques…

…Last of the blest triad, Haruno Sakura, the heartbroken Amazon of her generation…

And for backup, the combat experts…

…Anko, the redeemed experiment…

…The caged prodigy, Hyuuga Neji…

…The unlikely adept, Rock Lee…

…The springtime of youth, Maito Gai…

…The head of the Hyuuga dynasty, Hiashi…

…And the robust warrior, Akimichi Choza.

A message had been sent to the sand and if they were lucky, Gaara and a few of his staunchest, most dedicated allies would arrive in time to offer their aid. Until then, they would fight.

They were believed to be ready. Their thirst for vengeance and retribution was only equalled by their skill and resolve.

When the village's ANBU reported one blond haired, blue eyed and whisker marked teenager wrapped in a bloody orange outfit approaching the city gates, their collective hatred was only strengthened. Truly, the beast's cruelty knew no bounds. How dared it use their friend and fellow leaf soldier's body as its tool? How dared it employ their artificial _brother _to its wicked schemes and diabolical acts?

How dared it subject their raw hurt with such a spectacle? To see the always cheerful visage twisted in hatred! To hear his loud voice whispering in dreadful scorn! How could they bear it! How could they strike him down! Anxiety.

Realization. Resolution. They were ninja. Konoha ninja.

Their purpose became clear as their lingering doubts were crushed by boundless enmity and rationalization. They would not stop. They _could_ not stop. The deaths of many leaf… no _human_ lives would be avenged on this day. Today they fought not only for themselves and their village, but also for the entirety of humanity. They would not lose.

Now, truly, they were ready. They could, they would put his body to rest and end years of strife.

* * *

Kyuubi stilled. Instinct blared. **Formula: Simple ambient energy survey and analysis, (ALPHA). **

Energy detection forms part of the first level, known as simple and is instinctual. It simply scans the surface of energy and is the level most shinobi have access to. The second level, known as complex is energy powered and is therefore an equation. It is capable of determining identity (if you already know the target) and other physical information.

The third level, known as intricate, is a level that Kyuubi doesn't have access to. It enables the user to see and feel your whole surroundings in complex energy form, which can be highly advantageous.

Multiple assailants inbound. Designation: Human. Threat level: Bothersome. Positions… directly ahead. ETA 45 seconds.

_Huh… earlier than I'd have thought. Might as well see who they thought could kill me._

Equation activated. **Formula: Complex ambient energy analysis, (BETA).**

…_Huh… this might actually be a problem. The most combat able shinobi in Konoha, the finest. How should I deal with them? I can't kill them or let them get seriously hurt… though I probably shouldn't let them know that. Stun mode it is… Do I even have a stun mode?_

Unfortunately, before Kyuubi could seriously contemplate on the existence, in either of his bodies, of an attack pattern distinct from lethal, he found himself surrounded by a number of stone faced shinobi. It was slightly unsettling. Even with all his memories, both human and demonic, this was the first time he'd seen such a display.

The famed shinobi rule of conduct number 25… He'd never seen it applied like he was right now. Even Orochimaru always expressed his amusement or frustration. It was like they'd all simultaneously decided to take a page out of Itachi's book. **_Regardless of the situation, a shinobi must keep emotions on the inside. The mission is top priority; you must possess a heart that never shows tears._**

They reminded him of dolls. He had expected anger, sadness, fear… anything. As far as he could tell, they were completely empty. Emotionless, detached, cold… even their eyes were hollow. No impassioned speeches from Gai, no ardent fury from Tsunade, no hatred from Sakura… not even from Choza and Hiashi.

They were like walking dead.

Their masks… he suddenly wanted to break them. Expose the human inside. Make them feel… anything, everything… something.

He opened his mouth to speak, but they obviously weren't going to give him the chance to plead his cause as he was immediately assaulted by two similarly clothed green beasts. The duo exercised their speed to the fullest and it became apparent that neither bore weights that would handicap them.

The elder approached from the front and performed a flawless flying side kick, the lack of the usual 'dynamic entry!' shout noticeable, as the junior advanced from the side, spun, crouched and extended his leg in a low roundhouse kick, the Konoha reppuu.

Knowing that dodging would get him nowhere and that intimidation would at least interrupt their attack and pave the way for dialogue, Kyuubi stood with his legs braced for impact and reached for Gai's airborne right leg, only to have the man rotate in mid flight and spin his left leg towards his head. The blonde dropped his left knee to the ground, leaving the attack and the man to fly harmlessly above him.

Kyuubi noticed in the nick of time that Lee's attack never connected. The young protégé had set his attacking leg into the ground and rotated his entire body into the right foot currently flying towards his opponent's face, the momentum adding much power into the strike.

Kyuubi literally had to bend over backwards to dodge, the open toed boot passing an inch above his face. Needing to put some distance between them, Kyuubi pulled his upper body back up, planted both hands against the ground and front flipped away from the duo.

Unwilling as they were to give him a chance to breathe, two others immediately broke from the loose circle to engage the demon, the unlikely pair of Choza and Neji. Lee and Gai retreated to the perimeter and joined their allies in the observation of Kyuubi's movements, most notable being Kakashi, his lone sharingan eye swirling as he recorded and dissected the nine-tails' every move.

The Hyuuga boy wonder arrived first, his white robe helping conceal his hands as he thrust his fingertips at various points of his target's body, using his arm speed in an attempt to overcome Kyuubi's defences, only to have each strike deflected as the demon used his greater speed to his advantage. By targeting Neji's wrist, the nine-tails was having little difficulty deflecting the gentle fist and that gave him a slight window of opportunity once the larger and much stronger Choza arrived. Immediately following a deflection, Kyuubi upped his movement to equal the Hyuuga's reaction speed, flew inside the prodigy's guard and pressed his palm against his forehead. He felt Neji attempt a counter, but it was too late. The second was over. His byakugan abruptly deactivated and the expanded veins returned to their normal width after which he dropped out of his stance and fell on his knees, staring, yet watching nothing.

Equation activated. **Formula: Spellbind, imposed lethargy.**

Spellbinding, a series of commands primarily used by succubae and the like to facilitate the act of feeding upon another's body or emotions. Of course, he'd never actually had a use for that ability before and he was forced to hold physical contact with perfect concentration for a full second in order to achieve the connection. Neji was in a state of dreamless sleep, a near coma that few things would be able to wake him from. Eventually, he'd be able to revive himself, but for now he was out of the fight. But something far more significant is what caught Kyuubi's attention.

Not a peep. One of their comrades had apparently fallen and none of them bat an eyelid. Choza had stopped his advance, but that was only because he knew he wouldn't be able to handle fighting alone.

_Don't they care? And they call themselves leaf-nin? They call themselves human?_

The impulse to keep things relatively harmless lost much ground while the desire to beat their heads on straight came to the forefront. He probably wouldn't enjoy doing it, but it was for their own good. Before Kyuubi could even begin contemplating congratulating himself on his decision, alpha energy detection warned him that one of the most powerful humans in the clearing was approaching him from behind and fast.

Kyuubi weaved around Tsunade's colossal fist and spun around to face her, dodging her right hook in the process. Her left jab was stepped away from, her right straight was sidestepped, the following backfist was ducked under and the nine-tails front flipped over her left haymaker, meaning that their backs were facing each other and that the whiskered blond was unharmed by the high velocity shrapnel propelled from the exploding earth around the fist.

Instead of using his superior speed to attack the Hokage, Kyuubi turned his attention to the beastly duo approaching him. Out of everyone, those two and Kakashi were the most dangerous. Normal ninjutsu would have little effect on him and none of the heavy hitters were fast enough to touch him. Gai and Lee's extreme lotus would give them enough speed to catch up with him, especially if they worked together… and he didn't put it past Kakashi to have learned the skill at some point.

His worries were proven founded when the two taijutsu experts drastically accelerated as they moved with disorienting zigzags, one obscuring the other as the crisscrossed their way towards him, until he lost sight of Gai on one such crossing.

As the wind shifted violently under him, memories of things he'd never experienced surrendered their information. He sharply jerked his head back so that Gai's boot simply grazed his chin as it tore vertically through the space his head had recently occupied. Irritated by the close call, Kyuubi grabbed a hold of Gai's leg, lifted him off the ground and threw him at the approaching Tsunade. The man with the large eyebrows hit Tsunade before she could react and both hit the ground hard. While Gai quickly got back on his own feet, Tsunade didn't. Or rather, she couldn't, because she had disappeared in an explosion of grey smoke.

_A kage bunshin_, thought Kyuubi right before the ground collapsed under him. So surprised was he that he never thought to activate his flight equation: **Resolution of gravity's conflict, freedom of movement.** However, his surprise was not so great that the incoming fist escaped his notice, the shifting wind helping him determine its path through the blinding dust. He caught the fist with his left hand, but momentarily underestimated the strength behind the blow and by the time he'd adjusted his force, he was in a bad position with his arm tightly bent, his back against the ground and his opponent in a position of great leverage, so that even though he was the stronger of the two, he couldn't push them away.

Only two ninja in Konoha had this type of strength and only one of them wore gloves. That's when Kyuubi really had enough. He enjoyed fighting as much as anyone else, but he would not fight Sakura. It was time for diplomacy, but first, he had to get her off of him. Fortunately, he knew just how to do that.

"Hey, Sakura-chan? Could you, you know, stop that? Please? It kind of hurts…" said Kyuubi in Naruto's special half-pleading, half-endearing and all-pathetic mannerism. The pink haired medic reacted to the aural stimulus and her force abated, like the ritual required. The nine-tails didn't even have to force his way from her as she offered no resistance. In no time, he had climbed out of the cavity and once again stood surrounded by Konoha nin, their numbers reduced by two, one in a catatonic state and the other paralysed by grief. But now he realized that appearances were always deceiving when dealing with ninja and he was quite frankly tired of being on the defensive. Fighting simply lost all pleasurable aspects when he wasn't attacking.

Equation activated.

"You could all stand to cool down," said the experienced old spirit, his voice as cool as the ice that began covering the forest floor, the plants and even the trees until everything was covered in ice blue crystal as far as the eye could see, except for small circles of greenery around each nin. When Lee tried stepping forward to stop the demon, he discovered the fact that his traction had been severely reduced, a problem that did not seem to affect the ice's originator. When the others tried, they found out that their chakra was not helping increase their grip, that all attempts to melt the ice were futile and that all attacks targeted against the Kyuubi itself were intercepted by a thick shield of ice.

They were sitting ducks.

**Formula: Absolute zero frost, death of motion in thermodynamics.**

Yuki-onna ice. Impervious to changes in temperature as it was a completely isolated thermodynamic system. It could not affect, nor be affected, which is why, when touched, it feels neither cold nor hot regardless of the actual temperature. When the equation is activated, it causes a near imperceptible amount of slightly bluish mist to seep from the user and grants him the ability to create and influence the ice at will.

"I would've stayed with Sasuke if I had wanted to play with toy soldiers."

* * *

It was like a nightmare, a horrible dream that toys with perception of authenticity. Wrongfulness on a corporal level, as though you could multiply two by itself and end up with five. The place may have looked like reality, smelled like reality and even felt like reality… but she would never confuse them. She didn't know what the difference was; only that it existed. 

One second she was standing with her soldiers, facing down the body snatcher as he manipulated vocal chords to form words that were never meant to be heard in such a way and the next… she was here. A world that was reality, but wasn't. Her nin had accompanied her to this place but they would be no help. She knew that they couldn't tell the difference, not even Hiashi and Kakashi. If anything, relying on their eyes would only hinder them in this place.

"Where did you bring us?" asked the woman of the man-beast. The others looked at her curiously, doubt filling their minds. They couldn't see it and nothing she could say would convince them otherwise.

"You can tell?" asked the man-beast of the woman. The others now looked at their surroundings frantically, searching for what they would never find. She smiled gently, contemptuously, finally able to appreciate the foolishness of humans. They doubted her word, but believed the enemy without a second thought. In a word, foolish. Disdain and hatred coloured her mind for a moment, because she knew that Naruto would've believed her.

But they didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was the doe-eyed monster standing a few feet away. He was the key. He was the lock. He felt the same.

He looked over the others briefly before dismissing them. "Leave us," he said, and leave they did. Not by choice though, they simply disappeared.

And they were left alone.

They looked at each other in silence. She knew what she looked like, haggard and hag-ridden with the countenance of stone, so she paid no mind to his scrutiny. She examined him closely, searching for differences with the one whose importance was taken too lightly and whose loss all but destroyed her. She looked, observed and analysed but still she failed in her endeavour, the body was the same. The movements were the same. The facial expressions were exactly alike. The only difference she could see lied in his mood, as though Naruto finally got injected with a long-awaited dose of reality. The beast looked like Naruto only without the boy's eternal optimism.

"Where are we?" asked the war maiden. She had sensed that the moment was done and the beast was about to speak. Unwilling as she was to let him control the pace of the conversation, she moved first but was nonetheless surprised when he answered. It never even occurred to her that her previous desire for purely physical confrontation had gently weakened in order to allow room for dialogue.

"We're in a reality marble. This is the world where the boy's old man put my original body to rest."

A masked glance and a fleeting smile was all the warning she received before the world twisted to the demon's whim and everything turned to darkness. Even as she tensed in anticipation of an attack, another event took place. Her pupils dilated in search of stimulus and ended the search successfully.

Sensation. Perception.

Realization, and yet no fear.

A gentle flame had appeared, its soft light managing to divulge the visual information of a small area, a five foot sphere. The fake peered at her, his gaze sad yet unapologetic, the sight of which slowly disarming her body even as it agitated her mind. What helped stall any action on her part was the fact that the fiend was sitting tailor style on a large furred mound the color of partially washed blood.

"Princess Tsunade, Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure, granddaughter to the founder, you've been accused of assaulting the great and illustrious Kyuubi, an act which may lead to a declaration of war. What do you have to say in your defence?" asked the ancient, his voice cutting through the silence of the void. The lack of any kind of echo revealed the fact that they certainly weren't in any kind of enclosed space.

Her honey orbs narrowed as she thought, her mind as clear as it's ever been, every neuron working towards the answer to two prominent questions: How could she get out of there and what the hell was he talking about?

After a few minutes of silence with no significant changes in her surroundings, she found that Kyuubi wasn't in any kind of hurry and that nothing would happen without her acting in some way. So she tentatively said, "I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean."

"You and your shinobi attacked me and I want to know why."

_What?_

Its answer was simple, but she didn't understand. Clarification was necessary. "Let's see if I understand. You want to know why Konoha ninja attacked you, Kyuubi, and my answer will determine whether or not we go to war?"

"That is correct," confirmed Kyuubi.

"…war between who exactly?" questioned Tsunade.

"Konohagakure village and its allies against my nation."

Her heart skipped a beat. There were more? They couldn't even handle one! "Your nation? What nation? Where is it? Who's part of it?"

"So far it's just me, but I'm pretty sure I qualify as a nation anyway."

Her anxiety was immediately replaced with annoyance and the rapid shift in temperature caused her mask to crack. A vein expanded and pulsed on the right side of her forehead as she glared at him. "This is ridiculous, I can't believe you have to gall to ask why Konoha nin want you dead. Did you forget what happened circa sixteen years ago? You destroyed over half our active forces and much of our village. You killed thousands of civilians, ruined the daimyo's castle and altered the fucking landscape!" grumbled the Hokage hatefully.

Unfazed by her fervour, the fiend's response left her speechless. "That was an accident… of sorts."

She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, almost as if she were waiting for him to reveal the punch-line, before responding. "An accident? As in, chance, fluke, happenstance?"

"Yeah, but that's not important. That's not what I asked. Why did you attack me?" asked Kyuubi, in the exact same position as when he'd revealed himself.

"Do you really have to ask?" asked Tsunade resentfully as she began to shiver. The void wasn't exactly full of warmth.

The beast appeared to take offence to her insinuation. He grimaced, his first facial change of the conversation, before he contested. "Hey, I had nothing to do with this. If anything, this is all Naruto's fault… or Kabuto's… no, definitely Sasuke."

Again, she glared at him, this time because it dared try to blame the memory of her last relative. "What do they have to do with this?" she spat.

Kyuubi continued to ignore her anger as he clarified. "Well, Naruto freed me, but that wouldn't have happened if Kabuto hadn't killed him. And none of this would've happened if Sasuke wasn't an idiot, so he's basically responsible for all this."

She could've sworn her heart stopped beating. "Kabuto killed… Naruto freed you?"

"Yes… or at least he tried to. He didn't fully succeed… probably because he had no idea what the hell he was doing. He didn't manage to free my body and I think he might've somehow managed to bond my soul with his body as a side-effect… even though it shouldn't have been possible… Tsunade, we should probably take this discussion elsewhere. I need to have words with your council and some others," said Kyuubi, strangely solemn as he observed her.

"I can't let you enter the village," said the middle-aged leader steadily, even as she attempted to warm herself.

Kyuubi shrugged dismissively. "You can't stop me. Not if I start attacking. You guys don't have any defences against my kind of attacks, you wouldn't last a minute. Consider it a diplomatic meeting between leaders. As such, I'll only act in self-defence and unfortunately this isn't up for discussion… You're cold?"

She didn't get a chance to deny the fact before it went up in flames. A wave of toasty warmth hit her and immediately ceased her shivering, but she paid it no mind. Instead, she found herself captivated by the Kyuubi's true form. A huge head with closed eyelids, closed mouth and long ears lay between two proportionately huge legs and huge claws. The rest of its body rested on the 'ground', its nine lengthy tails curving behind it, with every part of its body covered in white and red flames. Naruto's body sat on the muzzle of the sleeping beast, unharmed by the flames. Suddenly, a fact surfaced in her mind. He looked magnificent, even with the damaged and dirty clothing.

He grinned and asked, "Shall we get going?"

Somehow, she couldn't find it in herself to refuse.

* * *

The only sound in the room was the reverberating sound of the sole of Kyuubi's shoe rhythmically striking the stone floor. He had been brought to a hidden underground chamber near the Hokage monument, to wait until the clan heads and the council gathered. The problem was he'd been waiting for over 4 hours and that wasn't counting the time it had taken him to convince Tsunade's companions of his relative innocence. 

Finally, sheer boredom prompted him to go looking for them. He moved off his chair and swiftly walked to the exit.

When he opened the door, the room exploded with more than enough force to dislodge the earth above. He was quickly crushed under many tons of soil.

* * *

Danzou was what could only be described as jubilant as he stood over his old rival's stone head. Finally, after so many years and failures, he had achieved his goal. 

He was Hokage.

When Tsunade and her chosen returned from their battle unharmed and in company of the beast, it quickly became obvious that the demon had tempered with their minds. The ANBU guarding the border had followed through with her wishes and brought the beast into the village and to a hidden conference room. It was then that he made his move. With the entire village behind him, there was no challenge at all. Tsunade and most of the jinchuuriki's friends (with the exception of Jiraiya) were brought in for questioning, while Hiashi and Choza managed to convince the council of their soundness of mind. When Ibiki's examination failed to find a trace of any kind of manipulation that supposedly took place, he had been the one to convince the troops of the beast's threat level.

If its tampering couldn't be detected, then it had to be eliminated quickly and without contact with attackers. Since the demon hadn't bothered to leave the meeting room, the plan was simple. They rigged large amounts of explosive to the chamber's door and waited. It was a resounding success, literally as his hearing hadn't stopped ringing yet.

It was an image for the history books, he believed. There he stood, they would write, the newly elected Rokudaime Hokage, solemnly but peacefully watching over buildings damaged by the many sinkholes and charred by the roaring flames that lit the night, clouded the moon and represented the fall of their greatest enemy. A true hero, he bravely hid his grief as he smiled gently for the citizenry's sake and began planning for reconstruction of the destroyed areas…

* * *

Fortunately, fire had no effect on him. Unfortunately, his clothes were another story. He had more than enough time to cover his necklace and his forehead protector with zero frost, but Naruto's favourite jumpsuit was an unfortunate casualty. Since Naruto's apartment had almost certainly been vandalized, he had no way of ever getting another one. He could probably have one custom made, but it simply wouldn't be the same. 

One thing was for sure. When he finished digging himself out of the hole, somebody was going to pay.

* * *

_Odd… the fire's not spreading…and the smoke appears to be clearing… what?_

He was knocked out of his dreams of pride and glory when he saw it. **_It_**. The demon, floating, unharmed and naked over the conflagration. It looked entirely unconcerned as it simultaneously broke the laws of physics and searched its immediate surroundings for signs of movement.

_No, it's impossible! Nothing could've survived that blast! We sacrificed three city blocks! The explosion was strong enough to shatter every window in the damn village! How!_

So caught up was he in his own panic, that he failed to notice the approaching entity until it spoke to him.

Kyuubi flew over to the obviously preoccupied one-armed, one-eyed, heavily scarred man and asked in a methodically nonchalant and forcibly non-threatening manner, "Danzou, right? Quick question. Where's the Hokage?"

The old man visibly gathered every trace of scorn he felt towards the demon and only then did he reluctantly reveal, "You're looking at him, you filthy…" The remainder of his self-righteous insult remained lodged in his throat as Kyuubi's demeanour turned from practical tameness to unrestrained and natural intimidation. The change was physically undetectable, yet unmistakable and would've been apparent to anyone, even civilians.

In the silence that followed, Danzou's fight-or-flight response shot into overdrive as he scrutinized his foe for signs of aggression. His expectations concerning the demon meant that his surprise at the fact that the Kyuubi would bother to make an attempt at verbal communication resulted in a temporary lack of corporal control when it broke the silence. His twitch would've meant little if he were a chuunin, but it was unbearably embarrassing for a kage. The current Hokage couldn't help but feel as though the beast was mocking him as he continued his speech uninterrupted.

"You're telling me, that Tsunade is no longer the leading ninja in Konohagakure?" asked Kyuubi innocently.

Unable to assure that his voice wouldn't tremble and reveal more of his fear, the old man merely nodded.

Kyuubi nodded thoughtfully before turning to face the controlled inferno. The beast stood silent, basking in the warmth of the flames while Danzou struggled to gain some control over his rampant fear. He had managed moderate success when it spoke again.

"You see, Danzou, I just realized something. I previously believed that Naruto's protection extended to all of Konoha… but I was wrong. You've just shown me that he protected Tsunade's and Sarutobi's Konoha. That makes a world of difference.

"Regardless of what you may believe, I am not stupid. I know that there is no possible way that you became Hokage with Tsunade's consent. You must've used Tsunade's attitude towards me against her… which must've led to one short civil war. Unfortunately for you, I refuse to acknowledge your authority and as an allied nation of Konoha, I have that right. Since I refuse to recognize your authority as legitimate, it means that your little civil war was an act of treason against your village. You and every single one of the soldiers that participated on your side are traitors and are therefore not Konoha shinobi. Since you are not Konoha shinobi, you must be missing-nin… and that means that I am obligated to exterminate every single one of you."

By now, Danzou's heart was pumping bitter blood. The realization that he would be the downfall of his village was a hard pill to swallow and he had lived long enough to realize that the demon was more than strong enough to do as much. He may not have been the most benevolent of leaf-nin, but his loyalty had never been in question. It was simply fixed towards the village rather than its leader.

"But if I did that, Konoha probably wouldn't have enough ninja left to defend itself, let alone handle missions. So here's what you're going to do. You will gather the council, the clan heads and Tsunade and we'll meet in front of the kage tower. We'll let your rightful leader decide your fate. You have fifteen minutes. If you refuse, then I'll be forced to remove the infestation… lethally."

At this point, the salient points of the Kyuubi's words were suddenly perceived as Danzou's expectations were broken and allowed room for understanding. Previously, he had listened but lacked comprehension. Now, the truth that accompanied the speech was perceived. Tsunade and her companions were innocent, and there was no way for him to atone for his mistakes before he was struck down and cast out.

Somehow, he doubted Tsunade would be feeling particularly merciful.

* * *

Here's chapter 2 in all its glory. Again, you know the drill. Notify me if something is wrong with it and I'll do my best to either fix it or convince you otherwise. 

Read and review. You know you want to... and you definitely know I want to. Thanks to those who did review.


	4. Sanctuary

Equation activated. **Formula: Elemental transmutation, existence as a circle.**

Most demons never reached their full potential, they simply lacked the cognitive abilities and the imagination required to do so. In other words, they were stupid or, at the very least, ignorant. It is true that demons knew many things instinctively and therefore knew them better than most humans could ever dream to. However, their ability to understand is limited and mostly useless. They could learn things, remember them, but never actually apply that knowledge to anything. They lacked the ability to distance themselves from their bodies and instincts.

A gorgon is a humanoid demon with the power to turn organic tissue to stone. It is widely believed that eye contact is required, but that is a misunderstanding. In truth, gorgons have bad peripheral vision and simply can't aim without a direct visual connection. In gorgons, offensive instincts push them to turn tissue into stone and they happily follow through without bothering with the why or how. None of them ever used that ability in any other way.

When Kyuubi got a hold of the equation, he discovered that gorgons possessed the ability known as transmutation, the limited separation, combination and transformation of compatible elements. The gorgon's inability to comprehend their own power perfectly exemplified his reasons for abandoning his home world. His power combined with his mental acuity meant that they would likely never be able to challenge him, physically or otherwise. At least when he dealt with humans he'd be able to have stimulating conversations.

Kyuubi grinned sardonically as he continued his attempt at transfiguring the soot and smoke released by the burning wood into adequate garments. Unfortunately, his only personal experiences regarding human dress habits involved a boy who thought a bright orange jumpsuit was all-purpose clothing. He could always go naked, but he realized he wouldn't be taken very seriously if he did… by the men anyway. The females were more likely to fall all over themselves in an attempt to better gaze at his statuesque body.

In any case, he'd be forced to waste more time convincing the more idiotic and inept members of the council of his utter and absolute superiority. No, everything would go much more smoothly if he projected the correct image from the very beginning. In that case, he had three main choices.

He could go dressed casually, which would show his utter lack of respect for their authority and power, he could go dressed as a warrior and illustrate the greatness of the military power of his nation or he could go dressed as an aristocrat, which would confirm his superiority in a way they'd doubtlessly understand. Since he wasn't looking to belittle them and their accomplishments, he decided to choose a mix of his second and third choices.

Obviously, this meant a mix of Hyuuga Hiashi and Akatsuki. He immediately adorned his upper body in a loose long-sleeved silk tunic with a short-sleeved mesh undershirt and covered his legs with a matching ankle length silk trousers and open toed boots. The entire ensemble was black and decorated with the shiki fuujin spiral on the back, encased in a circle with nine tails extending over the entire outfit. Like the Akatsuki, the adornment was dark red with white trim.

Kyuubi nodded in satisfaction of his own work before he left the ruined section of the village and headed towards the meeting place. He was fifteen minutes late, but it was by design. If there's anything he learned from Naruto's lessons with Kakashi, it was that keeping someone waiting was a great way to unbalance them.

But then, he stopped. Query, what would impress (read: intimidate) a room full of shinobi… a magnificent appearance or a disembodied voice?

A little clairvoyance here, a little air manipulation there and he'd be all set… he'd need to be close, but undetectable by Hiashi's byakugan… a body length genjutsu should do the trick. Hiashi would have to lock on to his exact location in order to break it. He'd have to be careful, since an illusion of that size wouldn't mask the effects of his movement he would be forced to create separate genjutsu over doors in order to remain hidden.

* * *

The silence was… oppressive, at least from the perspective of the civilian members of the council. In their ignorance of the shinobi arts, they were unable to discern the meaning behind the subtle changes in posture and gestures of the three shinobi factions present at the round table. The remains of the civilian council sat fearfully, awaiting their prophesied doom. To their right sat their most staunch allies, Danzou and a squad of his more potent ANBU. The group proudly displayed their adherence to stoicism as their lack of motion of any kind hid any and all thought, even from themselves. 

To their left sat the representatives of the greatest of the shinobi clans, selected by way of their strength. Aburame Shibi, Akimichi Choza, Hyuuga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsume, Nara Shikaku, Sarutobi Asuma, Shiranui Genma and Yamanaka Inoichi. The clans as a whole considered their group neutral and most behaved as such, casually observing the others and gathering the information needed to choose a position. Notable exceptions were Hiashi and Choza who were determinedly ignoring the glares directed their way by the final division.

Finally, positioned directly opposite to the council with several empty seats separating them from the others, the representatives of the division with the lowest amount of members sat morosely, glowering at all who dared meet their gaze. Of course, that wasn't wholly accurate. Tsunade's gaze was as calculating as any other's and Kakashi seemed entirely unconcerned by anything other than his literary material, but Anko was showering them with more than enough loathing to pick up their slack.

The room passed through time in a near static condition, with the only real change consisting of the civilians' level of palpable fear which was ever increasing. Just when the pressure was about to induce heart attacks in several of the doddering old fools, a whisper passed through the room, tightening muscles in anticipation and increasing heart rates wherever it went.

"I invite you to… something epic."

Tsunade and her chosen waited patiently, veritable islands of tranquility surrounded in discord. The ninja wasted no time and began using various genjutsu countermeasures as well as fruitlessly examining previously identified cover zones. The civilians fell into panic and began frantically attempting to keep an eye on the entire room simultaneously.

Equation activated. **Formula: Synthetic luminance, Fata Morgana. **

In the middle of the table, a transparent figure burst into being in a blaze of equally translucent flames. All movement ceased as a miniature, blazing, vaporous version of the nine-tailed fox lazily rested in the center of the round table. All eyes watched as it opened its great maw and spoke in a voice many were able to recognize.

"As you may have guessed, I am Kyuubi, last of the kitsune. And you are here, for one reason only.

"I grant you an opportunity for an alliance, and like all alliances, it requires and depends on an exchange of resources. Now, I'm sure you're all asking yourselves: What could someone like me possibly want from someone like you?

"The answer, of course, is nothing. There is nothing that you could possibly offer me, the nine-tailed demon fox. However, there is something that you could offer my previous… I guess the correct term would be incarnation."

"So… you admit that you and Uzumaki are one and the same?" asked Danzou, unable to resist a chance to discredit his predecessors. Considering the fact that Kyuubi spoke with Naruto's voice, he considered his hypothesis to be principally accurate.

His hopes were crushed when the demon shook his head. "No. Naruto was his own person, practically above my influence… I guess it would be more accurate if I were to say that I was his incarnation, but I won't since it sounds utterly ridiculous."

Kyuubi ignored the ensuing silence and turned to face Tsunade's faction. "Tsunade, before we continue, we must deal with the matter of their punishment."

"Punishment?" squeaked a particularly twitchy civilian.

"Yes, punishment. Danzou just reminded me that he and his allies are all guilty of high treason." answered Kyuubi.

No one bothered to contest his point. The intelligent had already connected the dots and the foolish were too spineless to dare draw attention on themselves.

"Death. Bloody, painful death." hissed Anko hatefully.

The beast stared at her for a long, meaningful second, before nodding in approval. In the next second, the situation changed and few were oriented enough to respond. One second, the group was facing a holographic miniature version of the nine-tailed fox and the next, the fox had disappeared and over half the guests were entirely encased in ice. Even as the clan advocates jumped from their seats and away from the table, Kakashi addressed Anko without bothering to tear his eyes from his favourite book. "Isn't this a little excessive?" asked the man hollowly, as though he was asking only for the sake of asking.

The copy-nin was insensible to her ire and ignored her furious stare. After a few seconds of silence, he turned his solitary eye from Jiraiya's perverse prose and matched her gaze with his own masterful blank look, but before he could repeat his question, the blond man unexpectedly standing behind the seething voluptuous woman revealed his speculation.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out, Kakashi… especially when you consider what you're currently reading. Think about it. Anko usually wears fishnet under her clothes. In fact, she was wearing some earlier today. However, right now she's wearing a nondescript loose black shirt and matching shorts. When you consider the sensuality Anko regularly emanates, it's not hard to believe her captors did something stupid like grope her. I doubt any pants came off, because they couldn't possibly be _that_ stupid, but their hands probably wandered quite a bit."

Kakashi locked eyes with Anko once more. He saw her strangely subdued appearance and knew the depth of her rage. He looked away and fell silent.

Kyuubi's arrival and subsequent speech had disrupted the advocates in the middle of their attempt at persuading Tsunade, but she hadn't allowed herself to be distracted. Since both time and air were in short supply for the two other factions, Tsunade asked Kyuubi to release them. The demon glanced in her direction before doing as asked. With a wave of his surprisingly soft hand, the ice evaporated and dissipated instantaneously.

The civilians had allowed their fear to run rampant and consequently expended their stock of oxygen. Without the ice's support, they limply fell to the floor unconscious. Those trained in war managed to keep their wits and resisted oblivion's call. The moment they were able to, they gasped, panted and breathed noisily while their bodies collapsed onto the table, their arms nearly incapable of holding their own weight.

"Listen close, because I'm only going to say this once," began the blonde, buxom chief of Fire country's Special Forces. She paid no mind to the general disorder of the other factions. She paid no mind to the clearly perceptible apprehension Kyuubi's physical appearance and actions provoked. She paid no mind to many things, because she remembered this wasn't about _them_. It hadn't been about them since her little exodus.

So she spoke… with poise whose roots didn't extend past her skin… and selfishly, because altruism was Naruto's job and he was gone forever.

Her first act involved the dissolution of the council on the grounds of martial law. The invasion four years previous hadn't been threatening enough for the application of that particular law, but the failed coup gave her more than enough grounds to invoke it. Insubordination among shinobi was explicitly forbidden. The Hokage was now the absolute authority in Konoha, effective immediately. The unconscious civilians were unavailable for comment, but their opinions no longer mattered in any way, shape or form and the other members of the council were also shinobi. Opposing the Hokage at that point was political suicide.

While martial law was activated, the Hokage gained majority vote in the legislature as well as veto power. Tsunade now had the final say in every decision for as long as the martial law card was in play. It meant that she would have to work harder than ever before, but she couldn't allow the village to continue heading in that particular direction. She understood now…

Shinobi like Uchiha Itachi and her own teammate Orochimaru weren't anomalies; they were symptoms of a disease. Luckily, a perfectly willing panacea was standing a few feet away.

* * *

They stood solemnly, aligned in a half circle, resembling monoliths, observing an execution. 

They stood solemnly, aligned in a half circle, the light of the fire casting shadows over their faces.

They stood solemnly, aligned in a half circle, calm and apathy deployed to save sanity.

He stood seriously, as a half circle's center, basking in flame's glory, wordlessly weaving terms of retribution.

Strands of an infinite tapestry, whispers of the recent past floated through their minds. _"Kyuubi, do as you will with Danzou. The rest can still be salvaged, but he simply isn't worth the effort anymore," said Tsunade, her condemnation cutting through a world of silence. When the time came, Danzou accompanied them willingly._

Kyuubi smiled curiously as he considered that last thought. Danzou was obviously expecting to become a martyr… Kyuubi's odd smirk remained on his face even as he turned to face the kneeling disfigured old man.

"Now, you're all here to see a show and really… who am I to disappoint? However, the beginning and the end have already been decided, but the journey is what really matters don't you think? Let's make sure it's exceptional, shall we? Danzou!" called Kyuubi suddenly before his voice dropped in volume as he whispered sincerely, "How will you die?"

The query sent shivers down the spectators' bodies. The situation was becoming highly reminiscent of Ibiki's torture sessions. Dread awoke in the pit of their stomachs and commenced spreading leisurely as they continued to observe the increasingly macabre spectacle.

"Truthfully, I was leaning towards a standard decapitation. It seems I have a bit of traditionalist in me," said the antediluvian before erupting in a bout of healthy sounding chuckles. The others remained silent. They didn't get the joke… though they wouldn't have laughed even if they had.

Even as Kyuubi's laughter unwound, he began stalking around the silent man. "But there's just something… something special;" he stilled, putting emphasis on the message, "about mutilation… something that appeals to everyone's sense of horror…" He abruptly resumed his gait and intensified his gestures, for his excitement would no longer be contained. This would be his first chance to relieve a little stress since his release.

"There is just something incredibly repulsive about that kind of death… if I were to slit your throat and watch as you bled to death, no one here would bat an eyelid. But if I were to section your body into bite-sized pieces, boil you in a pot and eat you with a side of rice, that's would be another matter entirely," Kyuubi didn't fail to notice how some of the others twitched at the mere thought. He hid a wicked grin and spun to face a still motionless Danzou.

"But that's not what we're going to do. You already know don't you? Yes, you must have an idea by now. I could form claws and rip you into a barely recognizable bag of leaking flesh, I could artificially make every pain receptor in your body simultaneously convey a painful message… and I could keep you conscious long enough for your mind to break. But that's not what we're going to do." Kyuubi made sure to sound nearly disappointed.

Equation activated.

"No…" whispered the creature as he knelt in front of Danzou and stared deep into his frosty eyes.

"Death certificate… death by fire."

**Formula: Blaze overlord, Bomber Syndrome.**

Bomber syndrome was Kyuubi's only exclusive equation and was also the only one he personally named. Pyrokinesis in its ultimate expression. Supremacy over fire. A formula forged from the inner flames of over a thousand kitsune and other fire creatures. While it was true that he currently possessed other element controlling equations, none could truly come close to this one. Fire was by far and away the most temperamental and disorderly of the elements and could never truly be harnessed. Every other element could be imposed upon by boundaries but no one had ever managed to contain flame. Until he came along that is.

Kyuubi raised his right hand and the flames that had inexplicably ceased to consume the village flew off the dilapidated buildings and into his hand. The surrounding shinobi watched transfixed as Kyuubi effortlessly contained 3 blocks worth of flames into a sphere barely an inch across. Their experience in such matters told them that such a feat was impossible, but their eyes did not lie. Kyuubi spent a minute simply observing the miniature sun, before he crushed it in his fist and consequently coated the area in darkness.

Immediately after, a new source of light revealed itself, and with it came atrocious screams.

Danzou's body was on fire… or so they thought, but as the sharper eyed shinobi looked closer, they realised an unfeasible fact.

Danzou's skin was on fire… the flames weren't consuming his flesh… just his skin and clothes. Wherever the flames went, they left behind leaking fat and bleeding muscle.

"Would you like to know why this is so excruciating? It's quite simple really, if you think about it," Kyuubi told the fascinated shinobi from his position next to the writhing and shrieking man. "You see, normal fire destroys pain receptors so they can't truly describe the agonizing pain you're going through when you suffer third degree burns. As you can imagine, this is not the case here."

The shinobi watched as pale skin vanished wherever the flames went, their composure lost at the sight of sheer torment. They cringed as Danzou's wails reached a fevered pitch when the blaze reached his member and testicles. And when it passed over his face…

The stink released by the torture was faint and obscure. It was the first time any of them had ever experienced the smell of burning skin without it being accompanied by the overpowering odour of burning flesh. They would never forget.

The second the flame finished its task, Kyuubi spoke. "Danzou, listen very carefully. I'm going to show you something and once you're done seeing all of it, you're going to have to choose." Kyuubi's declaration complete, he took hold of the bloody, disfigured head and locked eyes with it.

What most spectators would never find out was that in the instant that passed, Danzou's consciousness sojourned in Kyuubi's reality marble and gained understanding. He acquired a firsthand perspective of Naruto's life, his thoughts, feelings and dreams. He now knew Naruto's love for Konoha and could no longer remain detached… because those feelings strongly echoed his own.

"Do you understand now?" Kyuubi asked as he gently set the old man's head down. "Why I'm doing this? I've got that running through my veins now. That is now part of my soul!"

There was silence as Danzou searched his heart and Kyuubi tracked the old man's silent tears as they ran down his exposed flesh. The ninja said nothing, busy as they were trying to get a grasp on the situation. Out of the whole lot, only Anko and Kakashi had an inkling of what truly happened and even they were blind to the truth.

"Choose Danzou. Will you join me?" The question shocked them all, but not as much as the response.

"…yes." Danzou said to the best of his weary, hoarse throat's capacity.

Kyuubi smiled happily. Kakashi couldn't help but notice the resemblance… Not only between Kyuubi and Naruto… but between the both of them and his sensei.

"Then be reborn."

Kyuubi lifted his hand, clenched it and when he opened it, a miniature sun rested between his fingers. He steadily moved away from Danzou's body until he was near the audience and then casually threw the compact inferno onto Danzou's body.

Nearly everyone in the village was witness to the sight and sound of a pillar of fire bursting through the night sky, appearing and fading as if lightning. Many kilometres away, Gaara frowned grimly and motioned for his team to pick up the pace.

When the pyrotechnics were gone, a figure could be seen kneeling in the shadows where Danzou's body previously laid. The figure had black hair like Danzou's, even resembled him to a degree, but that's where similarities ended. This man was whole, with intact arms, legs and eyes. He had no scars and looked far younger than a man over 60 had any right looking. He was wearing an outfit similar to the one Kyuubi was wearing, except that it lacked the nine-tails in the design.

The man stood up and walked unsteadily until he could kneel in front of Kyuubi. With eyes facing the ground, he spoke respectively, "My Lord."

Kyuubi's smile turned into a mischievous grin, "It's time to go, vassal Danzou." Kyuubi was pointedly ignoring the other's questions, verbal or not, at this point.

Danzou shook his head furiously. "Please don't… don't call me that, my Lord. It is not my real name."

Though Kyuubi was surprised, he didn't show it. "Oh? Then what is your real name then?"

"Once, long ago… I was called Hattori Hanzou," the newly titled man said wistfully.

"Well then, vassal Hanzou… let's go. We've got a lot of work to do," he turned to the others, "As you can plainly see, Danzou is gone from this world. He has atoned and now, in his place, stands Hattori Hanzou… so I trust you're all satisfied." Without bothering to wait for a response, Kyuubi nodded to his vassal and began leisurely walking towards the village wall, his servant shadowing him.

After Kakashi and Anko left, the remaining spectators of the unusual execution could only watch the spot where the duo left the village, shaken as they were by the events and no longer having anyone to report to.

* * *

In a dark, dank cave hidden in Fire Country, Kabuto smiled as the wraith was forcefully ripped from his soul, causing unimaginable and irreparable damage. 

His master… _no longer…_ the beast wouldn't wake for a while yet… as a precaution. An abrupt awakening would send shifts throughout the surrounding area and Kyuubi was close enough to feel it. Attracting his attention at this point guaranteed defeat… but that didn't really matter to the medic.

His purpose was complete. Now… he could finally rest.

* * *

The sun was spreading warmth and sunshine in liberal amounts as it shared the blue sky with alabaster clouds of all shapes and sizes. The tender breeze caressed his blond locks lovingly as though they were old lovers reunited by haphazard days and sung a melody composed with leaf instruments. The smell of foliage, the life of the tree whose branches so affectionately welcomed him, filled him with joie de vivre. There was stillness in the air, motionlessness that should've been boring but instead inspired calm. He was doing nothing… and for the first time that was exactly what he wanted to do. 

It was a halcyon day.

"So, are you going to tell me why the military head of Wind Country is violating Sanctuary borders, in doing so risking an international incident? Or are you going to sit there and stare at me all day?" Kyuubi said languidly, keeping his eyes closed in an effort to ignore the other's presence.

No response. Kyuubi opened his eyelids for the sole purpose of rolling his eyes, unable to stomach his annoyance.

Seriously. He was the Kazekage… shouldn't he have learned manners? How many rules was he breaking? Ignoring a dignitary, staring at a dignitary, being all-around creepy… When would Gaara stop staring at him? He'd been at it for over an hour! Anyone else would've been thrown out long ago, but Gaara just happened to have a VIP pass. Jeez, couldn't Naruto have gotten better friends?

"You're boring. Say something, anything! You're ruining the atmosphere," muttered Kyuubi petulantly.

Suddenly, the redhead stood and turned away. The kage pronounced a soft, "You will do," before heading in Konoha's direction to join with his team.

The situation was obviously well under control.

Kyuubi watched him go, decidedly unimpressed.

_That's why you came here? So you could spend an hour watching me, speak three words and leave? …stop acting cool you__ creepy bastard._

Grimacing slightly as he jumped from his perch and lamented the loss of a perfectly lazy morning, he resolved to get back to work. Earlier he'd transfigured parts of the forest into a solid perimeter defence in the form of a massive circular stone wall. 60 meters tall and 30 meters thick, it was the biggest wall of its kind in the country. Konoha's wall was both taller and larger, but was built in wood.

He had made sure to remove every tree within 30 meters of the wall, to make sure invaders couldn't simply jump over it. Of course, the wall may have been impressive, but he hadn't actually built anything inside of it yet.

…What should he build? He wasn't an architect… not by any stretch of the imagination. He had a feeling that if he did this without help, he'd end up with statues of himself everywhere …not that it wouldn't be a good idea; it was just that potential citizens might not like being subjected to so much awesome at any one time.

Kyuubi was seriously starting to regret sending Hanzou away on vacation while he worked on the construction of his sovereign country… where did he go anyway?

* * *

Hanzou needed absolute concentration. A single mistake could mean the end of everything. After a few more incredibly tense seconds, he struck and the time-sensitive mission was successfully completed. He had just saved himself (and by association, his master) from total embarrassment. 

He had removed her bra in under a second. The bet was won and the prize his to claim.

"Come here, you big sexy ninja…"

Hanzou smirked naughtily as he wore the bra on his head. The youthful didn't know how good they had it.

* * *

No matter. He probably wasn't doing anything fun anyway. 

…Enough of this. It was time to recruit helpers. Willing or otherwise.

* * *

Quick and concise, "No." 

Of course, Kyuubi was shocked and appalled. "What! I thought I accurately conveyed the importance of this task! You can't possibly deny…"

Again, quick and concise. "I just did."

"You were obviously suffering from a bout of temporary insanity. You simply must help me," Kyuubi demanded. There was no way he'd come all this way only to leave empty handed.

Tsunade finally bothered to look up from the coup's damage reports to ask him impatiently, "And why, pray tell, would I take time off my already busy schedule just so I can help you design your fortress?"

Kyuubi had never wanted to lie more than he did at that exact moment. Unfortunately, he would have to settle with something he pulled out of his ass. "Because as an allied nation, you need to come on a diplomatic mission at least once a year. Gaara's already come to visit, so it won't look good if you wait too long. Procrastination does not a good Hokage make."

Tsunade looked at him for a moment, mild surprise colouring her face. "For something that you just pulled out of your ass, that reason made a surprising amount of sense."

The blond man grinned widely, gleefully… "So you'll…"

"No." …prematurely. Tsunade proceeded to ignore her companion and concentrated on her work. Kyuubi watched her thoughtfully from his seat for many moments, making her increasingly uncomfortable. It got to the point where she was about to ask him to leave when he spoke.

"How about a trade?" the ancient questioned seriously, as he switched gears and tactics.

The disguised woman looked at him curiously for a second before setting her work aside and focusing entirely on him. She was experienced enough in both politics and psychology to recognize the change in mood immediately. Of course, the fact that Kyuubi wasn't even making an attempt at protecting his thoughts made her work infinitely easier. "…What do you have in mind?" she asked cautiously.

"If you come help me, I'll give you something you've always dreamed of having." For a second, her heart skipped a beat… before reality crushed it into submission.

Kyuubi's offer made her skeptical at best and incredulous otherwise. "Really? And what would that be?"

Kyuubi ignored her question and turned to a fruit basket someone (possibly Shizune) had thoughtfully left on a nearby table. "…Could I have an apple?" he asked.

Seeing no reason to refuse and interested by his possible reasons, she gave him the go-ahead. Kyuubi unhurriedly rose from his seat and walked over to the basket, where he proceeded to pick out a red apple no different from any other. As he moved to regain his seat, he seemed unusually focused on it. She took a second look and found that her gaze was immensely drawn to its perfect ruby red skin.

By the time he set is down on her desk, it was the most perfect object she had ever laid eyes on. It was all she could do to resist the urge to grab it.

"…Wha… What did you just do?" Tsunade asked breathlessly. The sheer effort required to resist its call was now making her sweat.

"Tsunade, do you want the apple?"

She'd never seen such perfection, such beauty. What could she do to be able to possess it?

"Tsunade."

But why give anything? All she had to do was extend her arm and it would be hers.

"Tsunade, look at me. _Look at me!_" The voice, Kyuubi's, reeked of authority and demanded obedience.

It was an undeniable sign of her state of mind that she actually listened. "Do you trust me?"

"I don't know…" She truly didn't.

Kyuubi smiled at her. "That's good enough. Believe me when I say that this apple will do nothing that will hurt you. Do you believe that?"

"Yes." She probably shouldn't, but she did anyway.

"Great. Let's discuss the terms of the trade. I will give you this apple in exchange for your help designing Sanctuary. You don't have to help me build it in any way. All you have to do is give me some advice. If you accept, you may take the apple."

In a blur of motion, the fruit was in her grasp and her pearly-white teeth were lodged deep within its form, greedily taking its mass into her. Its creator watched amused as she consumed the rosy fruit in record time. Even as she scraped its last bits off the fruit, she felt the change occur. Her body was undergoing metamorphosis.

The painless heat moved from her stomach to the rest of her form, from the tips of her toes to the strands of hair resting against her cheek. She blossomed under the heat of transformation and the force of Kyuubi's stare.

When the heat had passed, she knew what it had done to her. Knowledge sprung from an unfamiliar source and caused her to drop her illusion. She was not surprised when her skin shone beautifully with a healthy color it hadn't shown in years. The pallor and wrinkles that had plagued her previously had completely disappeared.

"That was my gift," Kyuubi revealed as she caught her breath and tested her skin's smoothness. "As long as the idea, the concept known as Tsunade exists, she will be beautiful."

"How did you do it?" she asked, wonder colouring her voice. After she did, she passed her hands over her throat tenderly. Even her voice had changed… she suddenly recalled that Orochimaru had once said that her singing voice reminded him of something he had accidentally stabbed with a kunai. She had beaten him into the ground and never sung again.

Kyuubi held up another apple for her to see, this one just as ordinary as the last. "This is an apple. As an idea that exists in reality, it has its own characteristics, like all ideas that have a shape, that are tangible. Color, shape, taste, durability, etcetera. Depending on the idea, it is possible to alter those characteristics. You guys do a primitive and temporary version of this when you reinforce weapons with chakra.

"I altered the material idea known as apple when I was holding it in my hand. It went from apple, to beautiful apple. Not only that, but I made the concept of beauty perpetual and that is what's really important.. Normally, in this world, beauty does not last forever. It is fragile; one mar is enough to destroy it. I changed that. Once a parameter gains enough energy, the instant they pass a certain threshold, they become everlasting. For example, bloodline limits are perpetual abilities. The byakugan states this: 'For as long as there is a Hyuuga, he will have the byakugan'. Your grandfather had a bloodline, but it held a different statement. It probably said, 'For as long as this man exists, he will be a tree hugger,'" said Kyuubi before snorting derisively.

He quickly shook his head and continued. "Had you not eaten it, that apple would've remained beautiful for as long as it was an apple, in other words, for as long as it existed. Because you absorbed the idea known as beautiful apple, you became beautiful Tsunade. Simple, no?"

There was silence as the kage contemplated the possibilities. "Why couldn't I look away from it? Can you do this with other things?"

Kyuubi smirked teasingly. "Obviously, it's because you're a vain person. You can no more resist beauty than Jiraiya can resist beautiful women," Kyuubi gave her glare no notice and continued uninterrupted. "Of course. There are limits to it, but few that can't be circumvented in some way. For example, if it isn't connected to me, I can't directly alter anything with a soul. That's why I had to alter the apple instead of modifying you directly. Another limit is that certain items can't handle certain enchantments. If I were to enchant an apple with ice, it would become pretty much useless. And so on, and so on…"

Again, there was silence. This time, Tsunade couldn't help but notice that her companion was staring at her a little too intently to be normal.

Eventually, she had to ask. "What is it?"

"You should know this," Kyuubi's tone was marked by surprised realization, as if he had missed an important fact and was only now discovering it.

"Know what?"

Kyuubi frowned thoughtfully as he began staring at her desk and searching his memories. "What I just told you… you humans came up with the method in the first place."

"What?"

The man nodded absentmindedly and clarified. "Yeah, this skill was created when you humans started enchanting weapons and armor with spiritual purity. It's what turned the tide of the war. Nothing like a holy arrow in the ass to ruin a day."

His comment only served to confuse her and she was starting to become concerned. When was the last time they had used armor in a conflict? "…What war?"

Kyuubi's thrilling blue eyes flew to meet Tsunade's honey orbs. He couldn't believe what she had just said. It couldn't have been so long that they had forgotten… could it? "…Either there's a hole in my memories or something's very wrong," the ancient whispered harshly.

He wasn't answering her question and the answer's importance seemed all too crucial. "Wait! Tell me, what war?" Tsunade questioned relentlessly.

Kyuubi rose abruptly and wouldn't meet her gaze. "…Maybe another time… another trade. For now, let's just go build a citadel." As he turned to go, she noticed his expression.

It was surprisingly disturbed.

"Hey! Wait!"

* * *

Kyuubi nearly tore the door off its hinges as he stormed out and almost bowled over a ninja that had been standing nearby in his urge to leave the room. His long strides were quickly taking him away from the Godaime's incessant queries. He just didn't have the time for her questions now and he couldn't think when she was around. Already he had a new task that he would have his vassal complete as soon as he came back from his vacation. Hanzou would have a far easier time searching the libraries than he would and… 

He slowed to a stop when he realized who it was he had nearly knocked down. Haruno Sakura, Naruto's team-mate. She was still standing by the door, watching his back as he got further and further away…

Just like the old days.

"…Naruto?" She asked him meekly, hopeful despite herself. She did not take his denial well.

Even though he had things to do, he could not leave without at least making an attempt at comforting her. "You have my condolences, Haruno-san," he said gently and respectfully.

She nodded shortly and avoided his gaze as though the sight of him brought her great pain. There was silence for a second as he recalled the object he still held in one of his inner pockets. Since there was no way the man would willingly see him, he might as well use the uncomfortable situation to its fullest. "Could you do me a favour, Haruno Sakura?" The blond man walked closer to her and brought the item out before she could refuse.

"When you next see Umino Iruka-san, give him this. It is not mine to keep," said Kyuubi as he took her hand and placed Naruto's worn forehead protector in it. He watched as she traced the furrows etched in the steel before turning to face the girl's mentor, who had been watching the scene.

"Tsunade, let's go." She accompanied him wordlessly.

"So he's really gone? Completely gone…" She sounded on the verge of tears… but her words made him freeze.

_Oh no… Why did she have to word it like that?_

Her sadness practically forced him to say something and he could not allow himself to lie. "Well, no… not completely."

He turned and saw the light brought forth in her eyes… but she was getting the wrong idea. "No. Don't get your hopes up. Naruto's soul is gone and he's not coming back. The only things that remain are his thoughts, feelings and memories. Nothing more." His words didn't dissuade her in any way… and when he thought about it, he wasn't really surprised.

_Shit. I did not word that well. Why the hell is this so difficult?_

"So you mean, he's in you?"

Kyuubi could only grimace as he answered. "In a way… I guess… but you shouldn't think of me as…"

Enough. He was only making things worse at this point. It was time for a tactical retreat.

"Tsunade, meet me at our destination."

He was gone before Sakura could think to stop him.

* * *

It was done… the foundation anyway. Tsunade managed to convince him that constructing buildings that weren't needed yet wouldn't be a good idea. So for now, the citadel was really only two buildings: Kyuubi tower in the center and the clock tower in the north. Naturally, the clock tower wasn't exactly a conventional one, since he had no idea how those things were supposed to work. Kyuubi tower was just that, a tower with his fox form wrapped around it. At the very top was his gaping maw, releasing literal torrents of water into the secondary moat. The water from the moat cut Sanctuary in 4 as it moved to the primary moat outside the wall, and from there it cut a path through Fire Country until it joined with a main river. 

Now, it was after noon, the foundation was complete, Tsunade had gone home and he had nothing to do.

It was time to find some citizens.

* * *

Kyuubi? Too powerful? What makes you say that? No. Seriously. You don't even know who the enemy is.  
Anyway, Belial Aensland is in fact, the one from Darkstalkers. Draw your own conclusions.  
For those who don't like the level of detail when I go into techniques, be happy because there aren't that many left.

Everyone! Thanks a bunch for the reviews. You're all great!


	5. Hazy memories

Sorry about the delay. A family emergency forced me to stop writing for a while. Hopefully, I'll be able to write faster now.

This chapter might feel odd, and I'll probably rewrite it when my state of mind recovers. This chapter isn't as large or as well prepared as I'd like. Tell me whatever you find in your reviews, I'd appreciate the help.

Usually I'd reply to issues brought up in reviews now, but I don't really feel up to it.

* * *

It occurred to him suddenly, without any apparent trigger, that he was most likely the oldest demon in existence. What really surprised him was that the thought meant nothing to him. There was no difference anywhere in his being before and after the revelation. Something struck him as odd about that… as though his entire life as Kyuubi lost all meaning.

He sat alone on a wooden bench, in a pensive posture, his elbows meeting his knees and his head cradled in the world's greatest instruments of destruction. He was lost in one of the more densely populated cities of Fire country, one of the few that benefited from regular cobblestone pathways instead of the more common dirt roads. It was nighttime, but the city was also large enough to have public access to electricity. The light of the lampposts added to the resplendent moonlight was quite sufficient for the majority of human ocular needs. The street was nearly devoid of life as every business in the area had long since closed for the day, though his sharp ears could still hear the faint sounds of merriment emanated by the local taverns. He passed the time by watching the worn stone walkway and distantly realized that it had been cleaned recently, which possibly made this a high class path. The lack of pedestrians most likely meant that he had wasted too much time doing nothing in particular.

_Maybe my standards are too high…_

He had spent an entire day looking for suitable citizens, but he had yet to find a single being that possessed the correct characteristics. Everyone he had encountered and subtly judged was either too weak or too ugly… and he didn't mean superficially for either one. Beta energy analysis was extremely useful in his quest, because he could use it to distinguish and evaluate certain aspects of the soul. It could determine strength, general affinity, current emotions, etc. Simply put, it could categorize personalities, egos. However, it could not recognize the concealed marks left by past events and actions. He could read ego patterns, but not minds, history.

Bodies could be modified… people couldn't. Nowhere near as easily anyway.

_These people are too complacent. I've no use for peasants and bureaucrats. The first lack mental fortitude and the others are just useless. Peasants can become soldiers in times of need, but they'll never amount to any__thing unless pushed and prodded and I am not a shepherd. The officials are too corrupted. They are given power and authority with no sacrifice. They are weak of body, mind and spirit. Totally useless. This is a waste of time. I'll get Hanzou to find some suitable candidates… he did lead an ANBU division…_

Kyuubi grunted in frustration and scratched his wild hair before he continued observing the stone. After a few mind numbing moments, he yawned widely and stretched his limbs to their fullest as he contemplated heading back to Sanctuary for a well deserved soak followed by a long nap, but as he lounged onto the backrest, he remembered a detail about his surroundings he had been ignoring quite successfully. Since the sovereign entity of Sanctuary had little else to do, he finally deigned to pay attention to the woman who had chosen to sit to his left a while before and was currently in her own little world, silently contemplating what few stars she could see. He never needed to analyze her ego patterns to dismiss her as a possible citizen; in fact, the possibility never even crossed his mind.

She sat with crossed legs, her feet protected by small sandals, her lower right limb over its companion and both arms placed along the length of the backrest, her right hand coming precariously close to touching him. Since she was wearing a simple black kimono, a kimono designed to symbolize the loss of a close family member if he remembered correctly, her position meant that much of what should be concealed was in fact quite tantalizingly displayed. In addition, the garment appeared to be shorter than average. She was pretty, in a traditional way with fair skin contrasting beautifully with hair the color and consistency of ink arranged in a loose bun and dark eyes of a grayish brown pigment. Her features were lacking in all manners of sharp edges and effortlessly enhanced her dainty nose and full lips. From what he could see of her figure, which was rather much, she must've been heavily sought-after, because few women could claim to be as voluptuous. She was young, only a few years older than his current body. He could tell she was no threat and while she wore no makeup, her cheeks still sported a considerable flush. Closer observation revealed a slightly abnormal heart rate, breathing rate and perspiration for the situation.

Kyuubi raised a blond eyebrow in interest. The supreme law of the universe, known as causality, the cornerstone of time, stipulates that a certain action is always a reaction to another action. As such, the young woman's blush had to have been caused by another element. It wasn't hot or cold enough for the temperature to have anything to do with it and he couldn't smell anything that would indicate the consumption of alcoholic beverages. She wasn't hot, cold or drunk.

_What the hell is up with her? Is she nervous? She kind of reminds me of that little Hyuuga girl with the unhealthy obsession __on Naruto… though I guess she made the best possible choice. At the very least, she chose better than Lee._

Not even Kyuubi could imagine the series of events that created Maito Gai.

_What could she possibly be nervous a__bout? There's no way anyone out here knows who I am. For now anyway._

The woman noticed Kyuubi's incessant stare and looked away from the stars. Bistre matched azure and minds froze for a long moment. An impish grin and lewd eyes were the only warnings he received before her pink tongue darted out and delicately caressed her lips.

_Huh… __that I didn't expect._

She wasn't nervous. She was aroused.

Even as she began to sensually slide closer to him, Kyuubi's considerable intellect went into overdrive. Something was different, though not wholly unfamiliar. He wasn't as unaffected as a demon should've been.

_Hormones… I should've planned for this._

Immortal demons had no sexual urges. Most of them still engaged in casual sexual activity, but that had nothing to do with any kind of biological need, with the exception of succubi, incubi and other demons that fed off of sexual energies. The logic behind this was simple. Reproduction lost much of its importance when a race was immortal or long lived. It was why birthrates were so low among the stronger races of demons and so high among the weakest. While Kyuubi was still immortal, his human body wasn't designed as such and therefore still included a normal libido for a sixteen year old male. If he really wanted to, he could stop it… but its entire purpose was to make sure he didn't.

Already he could feel his breathing accelerate to match the woman's as her position became increasingly intimate. He did nothing as his thoughts heavily deviated from their usual direction. It wasn't as if his personality had been altered… it was more like a hidden compartment of intense desires suddenly found itself in circulation. And he knew just how bad he was at denying his desires… The truth was that he, or rather Naruto, was attracted to her.

Kyuubi did in fact inherit Naruto's desires… but the boy's scruples were not part of the package deal. Naruto was actually attracted to many of the women surrounding him regardless of what he told the old pervert. The reason why he didn't subject them to his various perversions was simply because he also wished to avoid causing them undue discomfort.

_No… that's not right. Not… not really. That's not really a d__esire… it shouldn't…_

It was then that Kyuubi truly understood. He had gained more than Naruto's desires. He had gained a facet of his personality… at least in part. It was more than just simple desires… those were rigid, static. This was more complex. His wants changed according to Naruto's ego patterns. In a sense, he really had become Naruto… partially. One thing he couldn't deny is that his soul was his own. It still belonged to the being known as Kyuubi no Youko, SS ranked demon.

It was an odd situation… but he could liken it to another's easily enough. Hatake Kakashi and his Uchiha Obito. The former had taken it upon his self to carry some of the defunct boy's traits as a twisted form of atonement. It was foolish… but it might've been the only way the man-child had to hold on to some semblance of sanity. It made him wonder, for the few moments he had left.

_Naruto… was this meant to be my punishment? My atonement? Or my salvation?__ Somehow, I don't think you knew what you were doing._

She smelled faintly of lavender, he discovered just as her lips met his own. And for a time, he was lost. Nothing mattered but the moment, the woman, the feeling and the many different meanings behind the gesture. A desire to share of himself with her, to partake in joint ecstasy, as taught by Jiraiya during his numerous and highly varied lessons rose from deep in his loins. Naruto might have tried to ignore and repress his knowledge of Jiraiya's special lessons, but he couldn't do that if he didn't know about them. And technically, Jiraiya's nighttime recital of his more questionable knowledge could be likened to a form of hypnotism as it was always done when Naruto was sleeping, so his wayward student couldn't stop listening.

Exactly three seconds after first contact, he responded. Gloriously.

The blonde leaned into the kiss and exerted subtle pressure like he'd been doing so for a thousand years. To him, knowledge and skill were damn near equivalent as he had virtually perfect control of his body. How? He understood how it was built, and therefore knew how it could move and how to make it move.

Instinct. **Formula: Intricate situational awareness, absolute method of understanding.**

It was a heavily modified version of the sharingan's own **Simple situational awareness, easier method of understanding.** This formula was what allowed Kyuubi to use Naruto's body with no prior experience. It was why he had unnatural balance and dexterity. It was why he would never need instruction in the proper way to handle any weapon.

Depending on an object's complexity, it required differing levels and lengths of contact, the lowest being audible, then visual and finally tactile. Of course, just because he knew something didn't mean he could explain it to anyone. He may have known more about the human body than Tsunade, but that knowledge would never serve anyone but himself since he knew exactly jack about the terms used to label certain aspects of the body.

With the abundance of their physical contact, it would be simple enough for him to uncover the secrets of her body… it wouldn't even take a second. With the map to her erogenous zones, it would be child's play to turn her lithe body into a leaking bundle of joyful flesh. But that was not what he was going to do, for two simple reasons.

Everything worth doing was worth doing right. Jiraiya had taught him the methods of the art so he would not skip any steps and besides… the journey was always half the fun.

In addition, if he actually did so, it would be a mistake. It would be too perfect and perfection was just another word for stagnation. And that went against everything that could be called humane. So he had to do it the traditional way… relatively anyway. Different situations required different approaches. Considering their low level of trust and their environment, this was a battlefield and would be treated as such.

While her dainty fingers explored the silky quality of his hair, he wasted no time in coaxing her mouth open and dominating the pink appendage it housed. His assault left her unbalanced and he capitalized by sneaking his right hand past her defenses and her lack of heavy armor made it easy for him to apply skillful caresses directly to her left breast. Then, he watched and waited as he continued applying a constant level of pressure on her defenses.

It didn't take long for her to lose some measure of control and it showed in her breathing. Her breath exited as a soft sigh and signaled the renewal of his attack. He retreated from her mouth and redirected his force to the curve of her neck and used his lips and tongue to induce a wave of pleasure to further influence her responses. He moved the hand that was fondling her ample bosom until her erect nipple was massaged between his fore and middle fingers. The heavy pants warming his ear indicated his success. A failure would've shown if his opponent had regained enough control to close her mouth.

Kyuubi then decided to improve his position by drawing his opponent into advantageous territory. He used his heretofore idle left hand to draw her into his lap. However that quickly proved to be a risky gamble when the evidence of his arousal prompted her to begin her counterattack. Instead of settling on his thighs with both legs in one direction like he had planned, she moved her hands from his hair to his shoulders and placed a knee on either side of him, which allowed her kimono to ride up and expose much of her bottom to any passer-bys. The woman obviously decided to disregard the possibility of exhibitionism and pushed her wet panties onto the outline of his throbbing staff. She then proceeded to slowly move in a vaguely circular motion, keeping constant contact between their heavy artillery. Even as the blonde's left hand moved to join his right and intensify his assault, he removed his lips from her neck and watched her.

She was incredibly arousing, with her parted lips slightly swelled from his attentions, her eyes closed in concentration and pleasure, her sweat damped clothing failing quite spectacularly in its original task, her skin flushed with heat and her hair matted with perspiration as she worked towards… Her eyelids retreated. Their eyes met once more and a silent message passed from one to the other and back again. She grinned lecherously and he allowed himself to smile back. The battle was over.

It was a draw. Negotiations were successful and now it was time for the after war celebration.

It seemed that he had misjudged the situation. Normally, in a situation such as this one (according to Jiraiya anyway), the woman had to be convinced of the validity of intercourse, by persuasion of either the mind or the body. No words were spoken as they were not needed, so he believed that her level of arousal would be the deciding factor. He hadn't counted on the fact that her arousal was at the required level before he had even started.

As quickly as they could, they displaced the various objects impeding their progress. The woman's soft hand grasped his sizable member and expertly stroked it before reaching with her other extremity and pulling her soaked undergarments to the side, exposing herself to him. Kyuubi examined her as he moved his hands from her breasts to her hips in preparation. And without any fanfare, the thick tip of his member speared through her tight barricade without meeting any resistance and led the rest of his troops into the core of foreign territory.

Right then and there, sitting on a wooden bench under the moonlight and artificial shine of the lampposts in a deserted street of a sleeping district, Kyuubi had sex in a human body for the first time. It was… different to say the least.

It was a subtle loss of sanity. Who knew that it would be so pleasant?

* * *

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" 

Tsunade closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was a sadly ineffective attempt at reigning in her temper. It wasn't as if she didn't understand why Jiraiya was doing this, it was that she didn't care.

"Ask that question one more time Jiraiya and I'll carve the answer on a very sensitive place with a rusty kunai. Yes, I'm sure. He's trustworthy," the Godaime Hokage answered forcefully in an attempt to cut the conversation short.

The toad sannin wasn't convinced. He sat in her office, facing her with judgmental eyes and an untouched cup of sake. He seemed… tired.

Old.

If she had been here sixteen years before, his countenance wouldn't have come as a surprise. Naruto was his student and outliving his students wasn't something he wanted to keep doing. In many ways, it was this loss that hurt the most, because no other student had needed him the way Naruto had. It was times like this he wondered if he was a good teacher. Based on his track record…

"Look Tsunade. I'm not trying to knock your skills but will you at least consider the idea that he's buttering you up? You can't honestly believe that Kyuubi really gave you eternal beauty in exchange for your architectural skills. That's like exchanging the daimyo's daughter and entire fortune for the company an underfed rabid dog." Such caustic comments were uncharacteristic of him and most everyone else would've been intimidated. Unfortunately, the super pervert seemed to have forgotten who it was he was talking to.

_Did he just call me a bitch?_

Jiraiya had a death wish. But before she could do her oldest friend a favor and end his miserable life, the door flew open and the source of their argument walked in. From the look on his face, if Naruto's old mannerisms still applied, then Kyuubi was concerned about something. Considering that he was immortal, unbeatable and pretty much unreasonable, this could not possibly be a good thing. The less than immaculate condition of his clothes was another ill omen.

Jiraiya had visibly stiffened, possibly involuntarily, at the sight of his student's animated corpse. He opened his mouth and Tsunade knew that what would come out of it would undoubtedly be some sort of excuse that would allow him to leave the room. However it was not to be. Kyuubi acted long before even Jiraiya's quick wit could find a suitable excuse.

"I need your help," the blonde man claimed with utmost sincerity. And without further ado, the trio found themselves in his… space, the one that reeked of reality, but wasn't… except that this time it wasn't molded to emulate their previous surroundings. This time, it was fashioned to look like a section of a large city located in Fire country. She had spent a lot of time and blown a lot of cash in that place… she remembered it well.

A slightly transparent version of Kyuubi was sitting on a bench, sulking. Judging by the moon's position, the scene might have conceivably taken place as little as two hours before. Konoha's kage turned to face the solid blonde and ignored Jiraiya's startled movements and questions. She'd long since understood that she was the only one that could accurately detect this technique of his.

"What's the problem?" she asked curiously before she faced her teammate and gently 'asked' him to shut up.

The blond man was all grim faced and dreadful tone. "There's something you need to see," he said ominously.

That caught both their attention. "What happened?" she asked softly, her newly melodious voice leaking compassion and breaking past emotional barriers effortlessly.

"…I lost control." Jiraiya stopped trying to achingly climb to his feet and instead wasted time and lowered his life expectancy by staring at her accusingly.

Tsunade ignored the dread pooling in her stomach and her teammate's idiocy. She ignored the images of slaughter, pain, death and agony floating from her experiences and molded by her imagination. She ignored Kyuubi's own guilt-ridden stance. She ignored everything but the scene. She watched as a beautiful woman stood stock-still and stared at the still sulking Kyuubi. She watched as the woman slowly moved closer until she sat next to the blonde. She watched for a long minute as the woman turned to the sky and became more and more agitated until Kyuubi finally turned to look at her. She watched as the woman leaned closer and kissed…

"What the hell?"

"Wait for it… right there. That's when I lost control."

The two remaining sannin in Konoha were speechless. They could do nothing but watch as Kyuubi effortlessly reached second base.

"I mean, what the hell?" Kyuubi said while watching himself, his voice seemingly losing all traces of gloom. "Having sex with someone just because I'm attracted to them isn't going to work. I need more self-control. Naruto was attracted to a lot of women. I can't just sleep with all of them… can I?"

Jiraiya's wits returned at the same rate his apprehension and injuries dissipated. He turned to the demon with a grin on his face, a gleam in his eye and blood flowing from his nostrils. "Sooo… who is she?"

Kyuubi's response nearly killed him. "I have no idea."

Tsunade turned away, blushing heavily, from the sight of Nar… Kyuubi manhandling his willing partner and asked incredulously, "What the hell do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't know!" he yelled calmly. "What you saw was all there was. There was no conversation whatsoever. I don't know her name and she doesn't know mine. She just sat down next to me, kissed me and congress was in session," he said while gesturing vaguely in the direction of the coupling.

The two sannin watched the specters with a mixture of awe and lust as the woman began bouncing on top of Kyuubi, almost unwilling to believe this actually happened. They watched as a pedestrian entered the deserted street and witnessed the woman's slight struggles and eventual capitulation. They watched as the man walked past without even glancing at the coupling. Specter Kyuubi laughed naughtily and she just moaned louder.

By the time the duo reached the finishing stretch, Tsunade was far too entranced by their actions to notice Jiraiya speaking directly in Kyuubi's ear. The old man's sharp eye hadn't failed to catch his technique in the blonde's movements and he would take the adequate steps to ensure his legacy would live on.

Two minutes later, Tsunade was sitting in her office alone and quite frustrated. She never realized when the other two made their escape. Searching her surrounding yielded no clues, except for a small note on her desk.

_Well, you were right. He's definitely trustworthy._

_Damn pervert__s…_

* * *

The next day, Kyuubi was still inside Konoha's walls, having spent the last few hours thinking on his predicament. The midday sunshine tore through the wispy clouds to strike at the dwellers below, deliberately increasing the temperature as he passed through pathways corralled by war weary architecture. 

After all that time, he found himself understanding that he didn't understand. The knowledge was in his possession, but the links between the concepts and their source remained as dubious as ever. He was beginning to believe that the humans themselves didn't understand the reasons behind sexual attraction. They had a firm grasp over their causes, results and consequences but they lacked complete understanding. They knew why and how… but not when, where or what.

And without that understanding, he couldn't accurately predict even his own attractions… and that could possibly become a quasi-insignificant and unfeasible disadvantage.

Jiraiya told him that his actions were perfectly natural and that he shouldn't attempt to discourage them in any way. He had also added that anything Tsunade told him was a damned dirty lie. When Kyuubi had pointed out that he had never seen Naruto indulge in such things, Jiraiya had asked him if he thought Naruto normal.

The point was given, Jiraiya left to fetch his notebook and he had decided to ignore the man's advice and go straight to Tsunade. After a few awkward minutes of tense staring, she turned back to her paperwork and told him to trust in his emotions and do what was right.

He still wasn't sure which 'he' she was talking about. It worried him somewhat.

That was another thing he had gained from this little misadventure. Apparently, he actually had emotions now. Before, there'd always been a distinction between Kyuubi's destructive impulses and Naruto's emotions and that allowed him to resist them to some degree, such as when he took Sasuke's eye. He knew those feelings of camaraderie belonged to Naruto and treated them accordingly, even though they still influenced him.

Now, that was no longer the case. Naruto's emotional responses were perverted by his self and became his own. It was no longer a matter of Naruto cared about this village, now he cared about it.

Of course, there wouldn't actually be much of a difference in his actual behavior, but that wasn't the point.

To further complicate matters, his little adventure with the woman who was likely a widow seemed to have opened the floodgates so to speak. Things were clearer now. Previously, certain events seemed a bit… disjointed. Most recently was his little meeting with the council… he couldn't actually remember what happened to most of them. He'd have to talk to Tsunade about that.

All in all, the few days since his release helped him realize that whatever had happened wasn't actually over… he was still changing. But… into what?

Now, as he strolled through the streets of the only village to ever survive his wrath, he pondered on what to do next. He was lacking a clear-cut goal to work towards and it was beginning to grate on his nerves. This was the first time he could remember that he didn't have anything resembling a quest. As Naruto, he had wanted to become Hokage and gain the acceptance of the populace and as Kyuubi he had wanted to become the strongest. He was already the strongest and he was not Naruto. He wasn't Kyuubi anymore either, but he would keep the name. He'd slaughtered a very powerful type of demon to have total access to that name so he wasn't about to throw it away. In any case, building Sanctuary didn't count as anything more than a hobby, since it lacked actual interaction with other, sentient beings.

It was something he knew that few humans could go without and apparently he was human enough for it to apply to him. In fact, it was already starting to compel him and he had left Tsunade less than half a day before. It didn't take long for him to understand that his lack of a quest drastically shortened the amount of time he could stand to go without company… and the masses of civilians and shinobi around him didn't count at all.

They avoided him, he ignored them and all was right in the world. They didn't dare treat him as they treated his… predecessor. They gave Naruto their scorn of their own free will… but Kyuubi, he kept their fear. And there was nothing intentional about that from their direction.

_Hmm_

Kyuubi stopped as he detected something that could possibly lead to some entertainment. He was being watched. Normally, he probably wouldn't have managed to detect the presence since the vantage point was outside his usual range and the beholder had no killing intent. Additionally, the fact that Konoha was a shinobi village would've done much to conceal them from his attention. Of course, this was only valid if he wasn't actively searching for suspicious activity and since he was currently doing everything in his power to avoid another confrontation with Sakura, even a squirrel wouldn't have been able to watch him undetected. And no matter how much she sometimes wished otherwise, Hyuuga Hinata was far more noticeable than a rodent.

It was ironic; he actually would've had a harder time detecting her if she hadn't been using her byakugan.

"Hyuuga Hinata," Kyuubi uttered while making sure to enunciate. He'd long since honed in on her position and tagged her with his complex energy analysis, which was how he easily detected the sharp spike in apprehension at his words. She wasn't attempting to escape just yet, but that would change in just a moment. "How curious. What could she possibly want with me? Well, I might as well find out."

Kyuubi observed as the Hyuuga heiress used her bloodline to read his lips and carefully monitored her ego as she understood the meaning behind his oral gestures. He looked on, pleasantly entertained as she realized that her position was somehow compromised. It was quite interesting seeing her ninja training kick in as she abandoned her position and dashed in the opposite direction, traveling on roof tops. Of course, his interest didn't dull his reflexes and he shot off immediately, pursing her at approximately twice her speed after jumping onto the nearest roof. .

Throughout the chase, the blond demon paid special attention to the young Hyuuba's ego patterns, and consequently became increasingly interested as her desperation grew.

When she first attempted to escape, she was headed in a definite direction, likely a rendez-vous point. Unfortunately for her, Kyuubi had no intention of letting the chase end so quickly. So he poured on the speed and cut her off, forcing her to change direction or confront him. The chase was then prolonged indefinitely. Absently, the aged being noted the various civilian and shinobi observers and the few teams of Anbu and other miscellaneous ninja barely keeping pace with him. He ignored them. They were so inconsequential that their presence barely even registered. Even his surroundings were disregarded as he broke the bonds of gravity and continued the chase from the air. Instead, his attention was focused on the emerging patterns in Hinata's ego, patterns which were highly reminiscent of Naruto's unique mix of courage, confidence and bravado.

Upon sighting him above her, she immediately realized that outrunning him was impossible. He had left her with no other choice and so she prepared for battle. She soon chose a suitable battleground and settled in the traditional Gentle fist stance and as his feet touched the ground, he considered her chosen field.

_A small alley, barely a meter wide. She wants to cut __off my mobility… interesting. _Even through the thick veins pulsing under her skin, he found what he was looking for. _Grit teeth, tensed jaw, fierce glare… she even managed to get the exact angle of his frown… _

He wanted to know. She had managed to copy Naruto's determination down to his facial expression. Would she also fight like him?

Suddenly, making sure there would be no interference gained much more importance. Kyuubi gathered his youki and quickly began to form two massive walls and a ceiling of zero frost to seal them in while carefully monitoring her patterns for signs of a preemptive attack. Her byakugan would give her complex information about his energy levels and that knowledge couldn't possibly be reassuring.

Equation activated. **Formula: Shape-shifting, realization of a dream.**

In the deafening silence of their arena, two Hinata's faced each other. One was a Hyuuga maiden, the other a warrior demon. On the surface, both were of equal strength and speed. One was in a traditional taijutsu stance used and perfected by generations of spawn while the other was standing with loosely bent knees and arms at her sides.

Some would say that Naruto's lack of a taijutsu style was a weakness. To Kyuubi, they just didn't understand that Naruto wasn't a martial artist.

He was a shinobi.

Naruto knew how to punch, how to kick and how to grapple. He knew how to jump, how to land and perform acrobatics while keeping balance. He knew how attack and how to defend. He knew how to move. That was all he needed. Ninja lived in silence and deceit. The unexpected. Martial arts would only be a detriment. During his battle with Hyuuga Neji during their joint chuunin exam, Naruto had more to fear from the fact that Neji was the faster one than his knowledge of the gentle fist. Of course, straightforward attacks will only get anyone so far, but predetermined unorthodox strikes are still predictable.

Naruto admittedly lacked elegance and beauty. But those never helped anyone stay alive.

"Show me."

_You've watched__ him, probably for a long time. Did you really learn anything?_

* * *

Kyuubi dashed towards her, with long strides unbecoming of any Hyuuga, disabling beta analysis in the process. Hinata held her ground and waited, like any traditional gentle fist practitioner would. When her doppelganger entered her range, she lashed out with a lightning fast textbook strike, aiming at the hips. If she connected, she could easily hinder his movement and such a blow only left a few maneuvers that would end with him uninjured. 

Her opponent gracefully spun out of the way and brought his right leg up for a reverse roundhouse kick. As Hinata began to jump out of range, Kyuubi's foot connected with the wall and stuck there with chakra. The Hinata-clone then used the traction to arch her upper body backwards until she planted her hands on the ground while bringing her left leg over to strike, letting go of the wall in the process.

The archetype hurriedly brought her arms up to block, only to take a hit as Kyuubi brought her knee in close to her chest before extending into a upper body identical to it, all in one smooth movement. Since Hinata's byakugan was activated, the teenaged heiress managed to lower an arm and cushion the blow. The strike did little damage, but it was more than enough to leave her unbalanced long enough for Kyuubi to press the advantage, rushing in for another attack.

Hinata's original plan was to keep her defenses up until she could regain her balance and mobility, but instead she found herself extending an arm towards her assailant. Kyuubi took the hit in the left shoulder but took advantage of her weakened defenses to punch her in the face. She hit the ground hard and stared up at her opponent in shock, gently cradling her cheek. That had hurt.

Logically, she should've been more worried about Kyuubi's follow-up assault, but she wasn't. Her byakugan told her much about his state of mind and he no longer seemed threatening. In fact, she couldn't remember seeing a hostile disposition on him.

Kyuubi couldn't help it. He laughed long and hard, in a way that was totally foreign to Hinata. The Hyuuga princess openly stared at the living image of everything she ever wanted to be, amazed at the sheer contrast. Hyuuga 'Kyuubi' Hinata was radiant in a way she had never even imagined was possible.

"Bet you didn't know you could punch that hard!" the Hinata clone chirped lightly.

Even after she had dealt with the experience of cheerful Hinata, the underlying issue was still there. Kyuubi's behavior was almost jarring, though she suspected that it would've been worse if he had been in Naruto's form at the time. It was as if Kyuubi had most of Naruto's attitude, but none of his methods or restraints… a dangerous combination indeed.

"Well, I've seen enough. You still have much to learn, Hyuuga Hinata," said Kyuubi as he shifted back into his taller frame and extended a hand to the downed kunoichi. She hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and climbing back to her feet, still cradling her bruised cheek, idly noting the tone of his voice.

It had always amazed her that Naruto's voice changed pitch so harshly depending on his moods, even when he was a boy. He was a natural tenor, but became a baritone when upset or otherwise subdued. Kyuubi seemed to have inherited that little quirk of his, since his voice was much lighter now than when he had spoken earlier.

"So! Mind telling me why you were following me?"

Unlike what she had expected, Hinata could see that it was an actual question and not just an order veiled as one. He was letting her know that she didn't have to answer. She didn't quite know what to feel about that.

"Ano… Sakura-chan asked us to…" Her mouth snapped shut as realization showed on his face. No other words were needed.

"Oh no…" His expression of utter misery told her he got the point quite clearly, which meant he must've been aware of the reasons behind Sakura's actions. The pink haired medic had never actually gotten around to explaining them to the other Rookies. All she had really done was ask them to keep an eye out for Kyuubi and report any peculiar findings to her. None of them refused. Information was hard to come by and they had all wanted to discover the truth behind Naruto's death.

Kyuubi stopped wallowing in his own misery and instead attempted to salvage the situation. "Look, when you see Sakura, tell her that I didn't mean…" Kyuubi suddenly whipped around to face the north, seemingly looking far beyond the stone wall, his jaw slack with surprise. "What the hell?" he said, startled by an unknown event. Her byakugan was not of any help in discovering the source. "Is that a gate? Who could possibly…?"

After a moment, he seemingly decided on a course of action and turned to her, resolve coloring his features. "Hinata…" His voice was in that smooth baritone again. "If you want to, come see me in Sanctuary in three days with everyone who's interested. Even if you know where it is, ask Tsunade to escort you there, I'll explain everything then. If I'm not there, Hanzou should be, and he'll be able to contact me. There's something I need to do now."

A few minutes later, he was gone along with all the evidence of his passage. The ice wall, the surrounding ninja and the pain in her body were all gone, leaving her alone and confused. She decided to take a walk, mostly to avoid the Hyuuga compound. Her father hadn't been particularly pleasant as of late and none had failed to notice, even her little sister.

She didn't know what to think of Kyuubi's invitation and debated on whether she should mention it to the others. Hinata was smart enough to know that once Sakura learned of it, nothing would stop her from going there. The medic was too emotionally involved, but in a way, so was she.

What she needed was an unbiased opinion… Unfortunately, when it came to Naruto, no one in Konoha was unbiased. So she would look for the next best thing; someone apathetic enough to ignore his emotional attachments… someone… someone lazy.

* * *

It took him an instant to align the sight with his memory. He knew this place. He knew it very well. 

He was where no life should exist, on a continent of ice and cold and death, in the middle of an eternal blizzard the likes of which few demons could create, let alone perpetuate. In the eye of the storm was a garden. In ancient human lore, the garden was the historical birthplace of demon kind. It was most assuredly inaccurate, but he had no other choice but to believe that version of history. Demons kept no chronicles. They had no past, and consequently had no real future.

He was floating far above the earth of the closed field, away from the harsh winds and biting chill of the snowstorm. Here, silence reigned supreme. The movement of the outside world had no bearing in that peaceful place, with its willowy trees, ripe fruit, lush grass and appeasing scents lovingly delivered by a million flowers. It was a healthy meadow, decorated by small patches of trees far too small to be considered forests and sectioned by rivers carrying crystal clear water. The alabaster wall of shifting snowflakes that served as a boundary seemed endless as it ascended into the sky. Brilliant rays of warm sunlight passed through the meadow, leaving behind gleaming water and revealing majesty to the eye.

He knew for fact that this was the most beautiful place in the world.

He wasn't fooled for a second.

He hated this place. It represented everything that he felt was wrong with demon kind. It might have been beautiful, but it was also static. There was no life in that place, no change. Here, silence reigned supreme.

He wanted to destroy it, to burn it to the ground and summon a hurricane so as to spread its ashes throughout the world… but that was not why he came here. He had much more important things to consider than the destruction of his garden. For example, finding out why a section of Makai was hidden in the human world. Luckily, a suspect character was already present, just waiting to be questioned.

Four-tailed Sokou, B rank, part rooster, part snake and all ugly. It was the runt of the bijuu, both in size and power. Its weight barely equaled the body mass of three or four of Kyuubi's tails but could not even equal the power output provided by them. Its body could be separated into two disproportionate fractions. The lower and longer half of its body was entirely reptilian, long, scaly and sectioned into four. Its far shorter upper body was vaguely avian, complete with beak, eyes, wattle and cockscomb. In addition, a pair of rooster legs hung from its torso, adorned with poisonous claws and utilized as hands. Its overall body tone was vile orange, decorated intermittently by patches of brownish feathers or greenish scales.

Surrounding it was a squad of lowest common denominators, D-ranked Oni, humanoid demons of grotesque appearance, the most common demons in Makai. D and C-ranked demons and creatures are weak enough to require sustenance. C-ranked Succubi live off of sexual energy, which explains their beauty and sexual appeal. Likewise, Oni require fear, disgust and other negative emotions to live, so their physical appearance reflects that. They have three eyes, a large mouth, sharp teeth, horns and claws in addition to their dark complexion, large muscles and pungent stench, not to mention their hideous visage, low intelligence and crude weaponry. At least Sokou had intelligence to bolster his weakness, but Oni were completely useless. They were foot soldiers, used as cannon fodder but even then they were simply too unpleasant to work in teams. Still, their uselessness would work to his advantage.

The meadow had changed somewhat since he had last seen it. In addition to its new location, someone had seen fit to install a dimensional gateway near the center in the field where he'd slept. It was a large hexagonal stone platform adorned with complicated looking runes.

What most humans failed to understand was that the runes themselves had absolutely no meaning. Runes were not written language. What gave them power was not the shape of the runes, but the formula imprinted in the rock. Technically, the architect could've drawn a picture of a stick figure riding a stick horse and end up with the same result. The only reason why certain runes matched was because they were oft used as calling cards, emblems of sorts, among the elite.

However, that information didn't serve him now for he couldn't recognize this particular emblem. That meant it was probably created by a powerful newcomer or its creator hadn't wanted to be recognized. What he could tell was that it probably hadn't been created by a bijuu. The platform was simply too small to accommodate their girth. As it was, it could only transport humanoids and C-ranked demons, because any shape-shifting would not survive the ride over.

That changes things slightly. Now that he was a humanoid, he might actually have some use for the gate. Because things had changed since his last voyage to Makai.

Opening a gate to Makai alone was far harder than it had been a few decades before. He could still do it, of course, but the act would leave him drained enough that he would be somewhat vulnerable upon arrival and that was completely unacceptable. He could recover his entire chakra supply in four and a half minutes, but for a length of time he would be left with weakened defenses. He was smart enough to remember that recklessness and defeat went hand in hand and he knew enough to realize that his arrival would not be unnoted. All formulas were automatically deactivated when passing through and that included everything he could use to conceal his presence and power from tracking equations. His enemies would immediately feel his arrival and would not hesitate to attack. En masse. So forcing his way through was a bad idea.

Suddenly, a great clamoring rose through the ranks as many of the brutes shouted their fury at his form. A moment later, Sokou followed their line of sight and jerked back sharply.

_Ah! __Finally noticed me, huh? And it looks like most have no idea who I am… well, I don't feel like dealing with idiots and their misguided resistance. Looks like I'll get to destroy this place after all._

Kyuubi raised his black garbed left arm and pointed his fist in their direction. He then opened the five clenched fingers with great flourish and darkly delivered the words of their doom.

"Vile creatures, begone! Your presence defiles this world."

Menacing youki poured from the pores of his skin, painting his shape a baleful red and forming a wholly unnecessary display of might. The commotion beneath him ceased abruptly as the infernal creatures recognized danger. Flames poured from his palm at a furious pace and flowed into a small sphere of constant volume. Within a few seconds, the stream of blaze ceased and his glow dimmed into nonexistence. Moments before he released his creation onto his garden and its trespassers, he delivered their final eulogy.

"Bomber Syndrome, third stratum."

The strata classification was basically a fancy way of denoting the number of tails and energy involved in each of his techniques. Anything less than one full tail is part of the first stratum and the term remains unexpressed. A technique powered by one full tail or more is part of the second stratum, two or more and it becomes the third, then the fourth until it reaches the tenth.

His body's current capabilities would allow him to safely use techniques up to the fourth stratum. If he pushed it, it could handle a portion of the fifth for a limited amount of time, but anything beyond that would damage him too quickly for him to handle fighting. He'd need to find a way around that eventually but overall, he wasn't too worried. In his entire lifetime, he'd never needed to use anything beyond the eight stratum.

Of course, vocalizing his techniques wasn't required in any way, unlike most shinobi techniques where vocalization actually helped users focus. The only reason he did so now was because it somehow made the act more enjoyable. After all, wasn't this all about having fun?

But as he watched a little over a hundred Oni run in any direction instead of trying to save their lives by opening the gate, he mutely lamented the lack of decent competition.

The sun bomb shot decisively towards ground floor, causing even further panic. Sokou didn't bother wasting any energy trying to escape, as it knew it would be better invested if it attempted to resist the blast. It coiled its tail around its upper body and concentrated on creating a physical shield of poison around it.

When his attack was about a hundred meters from its target, he instantaneously readjusted his mental constraints on the inferno's volume, causing the blaze to spread out and fill a predetermined shape. The flames, bound by his will, unnaturally expanded horizontally and downwards until it impacted the ground with massive force and heat. When the expansion had ceased, the flames had formed a large cylinder that blanketed over the entire surface of the garden, subjecting it to fury vastly compounded by restraints.

Kyuubi spent a few moments basking in the gentle glow and heat of his inferno, smiling as another part of his bloody past ceased to exist. He felt as though a great weight disappeared from his shoulders, like he was truly free. Nothing could hold him to that world now that his home was gone. He could finally build a new one.

_**What have you done now, monster**__**? When will you have enough?**_

The 'monster' frowned in curiosity as he contemplated the voice and the words it spoke in his mind. Whoever it was wasn't anyone he knew, nor was he close enough to allow himself to be detected. Telepaths were extremely rare, especially ones capable of linking over long distances. Taking a chance, the blonde simply tried to think at the voice, which sounded like a worn and weary old man.

_What was that?_

It seemed surprised. He was too, though for different reasons. He had 'felt' the other man's surprise, and he'd never heard of a link that strong before.

_**You… heard?**_

_I'm guessing I wasn't supposed to._

…_**Not particularly**__**, no. Your mind has been closed to me for many centuries.**_

_Who are you anyway?_

…_**So you really have forgotten, Kyuuhai.**_

Kyuubi stilled before continuing. _What did you just call me?_

_**I called you by your name,**__** Kyuuhai. In the old tongue it translates to ruin doesn't it? How fitting…**_

Kyuubi glared viciously at nothing, furious. He calmed himself a little and responded in a cold and callous tone. _You will address me as Kyuubi._

_**And if I refuse, **_**Kyuuhai?**

Kyuubi grit his teeth and clenched his fists in an effort at calming his rage, his flames flaring violently in response to his mood. He _**hated**_ being mocked. _Then I'll shove you back to wherever the hell you came from!_

_**Really, Kyuuh…**_

_Yes. I know you exist now__, so there is nowhere you can hide from me. Even if it takes forever, I will find you, no matter where you hide. If you know that name then you must know much about me. So think __**hard**__ on your next words, you decrepit, worthless… argh! Just __**do as I say!**_

Kyuubi then felt an extremely satisfying jolt of fear from the presence. It calmed him down quite nicely.

…_**Very well. I **__**grow tired of this. You will come to me eventually.**_

_Yeah, right. Wherever you are, drop dead. _

…_**Oh, the irony…**_

_Idiot… Go to you? __I don't even know where you are and I'm not about to waste time looking for you, bastard._

When he received no response, the Fourth's legacy snorted derisively and with a wave of hand dismissed his flames to examine his handiwork, resolutely putting the incident out of his mind.

With the incandescent blaze dispelled, he could clearly see the results of his attack.

The rivers of shining water were gone and in their place flowed streams of molten lava. A large crater stood at the point of impact and its contents supplied the fiery rivers. It was a veritable lake of fire. The vegetation had completely disappeared and the air above was filled with clouds of steam, ash and various gaseous fumes. There was no trace of any Oni. 

Of his enemies, all that remained was Sokou who was still emanating green clouds of poison around its body. A few of its scales were burnt off and it was leaking poisonous blood from a few wounds, but otherwise it was unharmed. Besides it, the gate remained intact.

Of the garden, all that remained was scorched earth, flowing fire and a single ash tree.

_Right… __couldn't have been that easy… She won't be going anywhere, so I might as well have a word with Sokou._

Equation activated. **Formula: Remote atmospheric influence, altered malleability.**

Out of all his elemental controlling equations, atmospheric influence was the best in terms of sheer usefulness. Air manipulation at its finest, it allowed him to use his flight equation to its fullest capacity. Since **freedom of movement** didn't render him weightless, which was definitely a good thing, his body was still vulnerable to gravity. That meant there was a limit to the amount force caused by acceleration, g-force, his body could handle. However, if he manipulated the air surrounding his body, he could protect his body from gravity and therefore drastically increase his movement speed.

The drawback is simple but significant. Doing so cost energy and concentration. Every being in existence is limited in their capacity to concentrate. No one can do everything at the same time. The first requirement wasn't particularly crippling for Kyuubi, but the other was noteworthy.

Kyuubi was extremely skilled at multi-tasking, so he could safely use several equations simultaneously. However, to fly at full speed, he needed to divide his attention between two equations. If he was using beta analysis to evaluate his opponent, that was three and if he had to attack… In such a situation, the power of each equation was lessened. It was a useful technique to use when battling many opponents, but it wouldn't do against enemies with strong defense. In battle, he often had to choose between speed and power. Most demons did not have both options.

Kyuubi used his recently activated equation to keep the four-tailed demon's gases away from him by way of a controlled sphere of slowly swirling wind. An amusing thought surfaced and he briefly wondered if the demon's flatulence was just as toxic.

"Hello, Sokou. How… nice of you to visit."

In response to his cordial greeting, the ill-mannered bijuu pushed its gaping beak into view and spat out a large glob of acid towards Kyuubi's far smaller form. Without pausing to see the results of its attack, it uncoiled itself and swiftly crawled towards the relative safety provided by the blizzard.

Even if it had paid attention to its opponent, it probably wouldn't have been able to dodge the three sizable spikes of frost that jutted out from beneath it, impaling and immobilizing it. It tried to reach back and remove them with either acid, its bare hands or its tails, but could only recoil in pain when unbearably searing flames burst from the glacial stalagmite.

"Well! Now that you've been comfortably seated, we can discuss the reason for your visit," Kyuubi exclaimed enthusiastically as he lounged on a pocket of air.

"You won't get away with this!" It screeched obnoxiously. Kyuubi grimaced slightly as the incredibly annoying sound reached his eardrums and suddenly felt the need to cut their meeting short. "Mark my words! Soon you will kneel before my mistress and I will laugh as you beg for your wretched lif…" It was silenced as Kyuubi took control of the atmosphere around its body and disallowed the vibration required for speech, while manually making sure it could hear his every word. He had heard more than enough.

"Well! Now that you've proven yourself useless as always, I can do this without fear of being hounded by my own curiosity," said Kyuubi as his ice rapidly spread over Sokou's body. "Don't worry," he reassured as Sokou jerked and screamed silently, truly infuriated by its own helplessness, "When you wake up, it'll feel like no time passed at all."

The frost covered the four-tailed demon's head and cut off its movement abruptly. Kyuubi's violet eyes darkened to cobalt blue as he took in the artistic beauty of his frozen effigy when contrasted with the infernal background. A stray ray of sunlight suddenly caught the living statue and caused it to shine most breathtakingly.

Kyuubi smiled a grin that was only slightly rueful.

_Silenc__e…_

He had learned that there were worse things.

"Then again, you might never wake up."

* * *

_Sokou became a vassal? Odd. He may have been weak but he was still B-ranked. Mistress… a female__ so probably a humanoid. It's been a long time since I saw a humanoid above B-rank._

"How could you!" a melodious voice questioned accusingly.

"How could I what? I've done a lot of things to a lot of beings, be a little more precise," Kyuubi replied absently as he was half occupied by trying to guess Sokou's master's demonic genus.

"How could you leave me here alone?" the harmonious voice clarified helpfully.

"What? Not only was I incapacitated for the last few years, I also had no idea you were here, so how the hell could I visit?" His eyes shut themselves almost of their own accord as he tried to understand the point, a gesture he'd retained from his ancestor.

"You could've taken me with you!" the pleasant voice replied immediately.

"…You do know you're a tree, right?" And indeed, she was. In particular, she was an ash tree of medium size and the bizarre habit of bearing sweet green apples.

"Kyuuhaiiiiiiiii!"

As if to disprove his point, the tree's spirit materialized next to him complete with scowl and tensed muscles. Of course, taking her appearance in account, the overall look was about as frightening as blueberry pie.

"…What did I say about using that name?" Kyuubi uttered softly.

The small wood sprite deflated quickly as she understood her mistake. "Sorry."

"…I guess it's okay. I don't really mind it that much when friends call me that." It was yet another difference from his original personality. Sometimes it seemed as though they would never end.

The wood sprite that served as a mobile corporal form for the ash tree wasn't particularly menacing. Standing at a whopping three and a half feet tall with tea green hair three feet of length, emerald colored eyes, pale skin and cherubic facial features, she was the largest fairy Kyuubi had ever seen. Her prepubescent body was wrapped in a delicate knee length white dress made entirely out of threads formed from enhanced flower petals. The dress had no back to leave room for her transparent butterfly wings.

Kyuubi and the fairy were among the garden's single remaining tree's upper branches, watching the scenery, catching up on times long past.

"…Kyuuhai?" the childlike creature asked hesitantly.

"What is it?"

She looked down as the scorched and dry earth and stared nervously. "…Why did you kill all those kitsune? You're too smart to do anything without a reason and there had to have been more than the name thing."

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected that. "What brought this on? You never wondered before," he pointed out honestly.

"I've had a lot of time to think since you left and I stopped getting visitors," she explained solemnly.

Kyuubi's eyes closed as he recalled a forgotten detail. "Oh yeah… your fruit increases the mental acuity and wisdom of the worthy, right? What happened?"

He opened his eyes just in time to catch her wistful smile. "Right, I didn't think you'd remember." She still wasn't looking at him.

"You know, I'm getting pretty damned tired of people telling me that. What is it that I supposedly forgot?" His question was almost leaking annoyance as he remembered the infuriating voice, but he quickly closed his eyes and calmed himself down as he noticed her flinch. When his eyes opened again, the fairy was staring at him with something akin to awe, so much that he'd almost asked her a question when she beamed at him and continued with her response, noticeably happier.

"Well… I don't know the whole story, and I doubt anyone else that was around you survived or stuck around… so you'll probably have to remember the rest on your own. What I do know is that you used to come by because my fruit allowed you moments of lucidity," she explained quickly.

The ancient demon frowned as he contemplated her last tidbit of information. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you weren't very level-headed back then… You were prone to spontaneous periods of fury that would occur for little to no reason at all," the fairy revealed this detail without hesitation, but the blonde could tell that she was heavily sugarcoating it. He knew she wasn't lying because her words seemed quite familiar.

"You know, that actually rings a bell," he revealed calmly.

She nodded. "It should. And since you lost none of your intelligence… well, you were pretty much dangerous for anything and anyone. My fruit allowed you to keep control of your rage for a few days."

"Why did I stop then?" Kyuubi asked prudently. Something about all this was important and he needed to find out what.

The fairy shook her green topped head and clarified. "You didn't. The thing is… I wasn't supposed to give any of my fruit to demons."

"So why did you?"

She began staring at him again, this time with a little fear mixed with her awe. "…It didn't actually do a difference. You already knew most of the important stuff and I don't think I could've improved your intelligence any… but the gods didn't see it that way."

Kyuubi twitched rather fiercely. That wasn't good at all. "Gods? Wow… I haven't heard of or seen a god for quite a while... except for the death god and even he's been kind of scarce lately."

The fairy was just as surprised. "Really? I guess that would explain why I haven't seen any since they took away my formulas."

A cold fury rose from navel like a tide and surged through his body with unstoppable strength. It moved like a behemoth and rested right behind his eyes. He knew then that his mind may have had difficulty accessing whatever it was, but his body, his youki never forgot.

"…Kyuuhai? Are you okay?"

The fairy's gentle voice broke through Kyuubi's haze and brought him back to reality. He took deep gasping breaths and desperately controlled the urge to destroy something. "Yeah, it's just…that sounds _really_ familiar." And whatever it was, it was bad.

"Good! That means you haven't really forgotten!" she chirped lightly.

_Guess not_

"…So a god sealed your formulas because you helped a demon," he said, seeking confirmation.

She looked at him seriously. "…Not exactly. It was because I helped _you_, Kyuuhai."

Awkward stillness passed as they stared at one another, one gaze searching and the other unrepentant. Kyuubi may have been a lot of things, but sorry wasn't really one of them. If his current personality was the end result of everything he'd ever done, how could he be?

The sprite looked away from his steady stare, somewhat saddened by her findings. It was an almost irreconcilable difference in ideologies. Kyuubi wasn't afraid to fight for what he wanted, nor did he rely on any other judgment but his own. The fairy was strictly nonviolent. That was another reason why he didn't want to take her with him. He would never be able to stop fighting. Not as long as there were still opponents.

Once the moment passed and the awkward moment became comfortable again, Kyuubi decided to ask a question he knew the fairy would not be able to answer. "Say, do you know who built that gate over there?" He said while pointing to the still intact stone structure.

The fairy shook her head, sending her hair flying cutely around her. "No… I just woke up one day and there it was," she said while making appropriately vague hand motions.

Sanctuary's founder hummed his discontent. "I thought not… oh well. What are you going to do?" The demon asked carefully, eying his companion for sudden movements.

Her body stilled. Unnaturally so. "What do you mean?" She asked, taking care to enunciate every syllable.

"I'm going to leave soon…" He answered, gently alluding that he had no intention of taking her with him.

"I'm going with you!" Her response was immediate and her overall appearance left no room for any reprisal. His only choices were to run or fight and neither were very appealing.

He sighed and said, "…How? I'm not carrying anything anywhere."

She glared at him. "Idiot. This tree is just a shell… a heavily warded protective shell, but still a shell. I can replace it."

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow, but decided not to respond.

_She's gotten comfortable enough to insult me… I wonder if that's a good thing._

"Alright then, let's go," Kyuubi said before preparing to jump from his branch.

"Hold on, you didn't answer my question," the fairy pointed out in the nick of time.

"You noticed." the demon muttered flatly.

"Shut up and answer the question."

His ire at being insulted was heavily drowned out by the incongruity in her statement. "You know that's not…"

"Kyuuhai." The pleading note in her voice was what prompted him to explain.

"…It's because I believed that once I was done, I would no longer be a being… I would be an idea, a concept. And that was something infinitely stronger.

"See, infinity divided by any number is still infinity. Let's take the concept known as human. That concept is equally divided by every human in existence and each of those humans is equal to all the others. Whether the humans number thirty or thirty million, it makes no difference. However, I am unique, singular. The only kitsune in existence. I am infinity. That's the difference. The difference between infinity divided and infinity."

"That… makes no sense. At all."

The blonde smiled lightly, taking undue amusement at her words. "I know, but that's what I believed, back then."

"You've changed." It was an affirmation, an assumption and a fact, all at the same time. But it wasn't any less wrong.

Kyuubi hadn't changed at all… and neither had Naruto. "Not really. At least, Kyuuhai hasn't." Though she didn't answer him, he doubted she really understood his meaning.

When he jumped off the tree branch and started walking the long road home, he was still smiling. He wondered what the morrow would bring and wasn't saddened in the least when he couldn't settle on a scenario. He stole a glance at his surroundings and remembered a slight detail. He walked past his companion and stopped before the stone gateway.

_Can't leave this here… I'd better seal it._

Kyuubi's cheerful visage turned impish as his thoughts turned to his imprisonment.

"Let it never be said that I am not a genius," Kyuubi dictated seriously.

Equation activated. **Formula: Constructed legion, Limited Golem Factory: Doppelganger revision.**

**God of death variant, third strata.**

Golem factory is an equation used primarily by A and S-ranked demon lords to create minions. There are currently three existing types of servants that can be created using the equation. The weakest is simply called golem, the next is called homunculus and the last is Kyuubi's specialized doppelganger variation, titled after the demon of the same name. The first two levels can be formed out of any material, but are required to have an organic core, the stronger the core, the stronger the golem. A boar's heart makes for a stronger minion than a leaf. The minion is destroyed once their core receives enough damage. The only real difference between a golem and a homunculus is their level of detail. Homunculi are faster, stronger and smarter than golems and are assigned more complex tasks, such as coordinating defense and leading units of golems.

Creating a doppelganger was far more difficult as it required complete knowledge of an individual and a suitable body. However, when it was created, it was a perfect physical copy of the original.

Kyuubi had already created eight units of automatons to guard Sanctuary. Each unit was led by powerful homunculi who each controlled twelve golems. Half of those units were water based and served as the last line of defense. Three of them were stone based and handled direct combat and a single unit was plant based and served as scouts. Since aquatic golems were pretty much invisible to the naked eye while in a body of water, trying to cross the moat was not a good idea for anyone.

Kyuubi barely stopped himself from outright laughing as he watched a perfect copy of the ghastly deity apply its trademark seal to the stone platform. The next person to try and use skiki fuujin on him would get a nasty surprise.

During his sealing, the Shinigami had used its soul to pull Kyuubi's out of his body. That entailed actual contact between the two. The process had taken around four minutes and that had been more than long enough for the demon to get a complete grasp of the death god's soul using his **absolute method of understanding. **

He would probably never fully recreate it because then he'd need to provide an endless well of energy, but he could use a limited amount of youki and mold it to the Shinigami's soul patterns and form a body around it, thereupon gifting him with a temporary version of the god. It wasn't particularly difficult because the god wasn't fully corporal anyway.

Since he was crafting a new body and not just copying the old one, his death god was simply a mindless automaton with no memories, thoughts or feelings. Just pure ability.

_Hmm… I never did get around to studying its soul patterns. I might be able to get the secret of the god's power…_

Of course, he had been far too angry in the first few years after his sealing to think clearly and only calmed down when Naruto had taken some of his youki during his first real mission. After that, he had spent much of his time monitoring the boy or sleeping.

_I guess I don't really have to do it right away… it's not e__xactly relevant right now._

Kyuubi looked up to see his godly automaton floating in front of him awaiting further instructions and dismissed him with a thought. He examined the machine's handiwork and nodded in satisfaction before he turned and resumed his long journey back to Sanctuary. A few seconds later, the shocked fairy followed as Kyuubi had known she would. As long as he didn't attack her directly, she wouldn't leave. He was her only friend.

Despite their differences, there was a reason they were friends. The being of small stature's biggest trait was her curiosity and she had always considered Kyuubi as being extremely interesting. In addition, he was the only one who could look past her position as a primary keeper of knowledge for the forces of Heaven.

Besides, she was lonely.

* * *


	6. A scene, a beginning

Heh, you know what? This is a really short chapter.

Well, my personal problems have pretty much blown over and I feel much better. My writing may not be back to its usual standard, but only time can change that. Or maybe it's all in my mind. You tell me.

This chapter is but a single scene, but it would feel wrong to add anything to it, so I'll post it by itself.

Everyone who reviewed, thank you very much. You give me the inspiration I sorely need. If any of you have questions, don't hesitate to ask in a review or in an email. This includes questions you're previously asked. (Because I'm just too lazy to go back.)

* * *

The interior of Sanctuary's central building, Kyuubi's tower, was an architectural singularity. Instead of being segmented into rooms, hallways and floors, Kyuubi decided to employ the entire building as a colossal audience chamber. The circular wall and the floor of the chamber were built from seamless, flawless and slightly radiant white marble. An unseen choir sang from beneath the stone's depths, a melody without words, feelings expressed with harmony.

The music filled an otherwise empty chamber with presence. The song filled an otherwise troubled mind with peace.

Kyuubi sat on the lone piece of furniture, an elaborate white throne marked with imprints of his original form, in a state that was only a few steps above sleep. He wore an intricate white silk robe, clothing he knew only a rich noble could afford.

In his hand he held a golden chalice filled with Fairy's own personal ambrosia. The golden liquid now lacked any kind of preternatural properties, but its empyreal taste remained practically unaffected, though he thought he could detect a slight aftertaste of broken dreams. Even so, he kept and would keep drinking… as a reminder if nothing else.

For the first time in recent memory, Kyuubi was truly, totally relaxed.

On some level, he believed that this kind of tranquility could only end with an interruption of the most violent kind.

"My Lord."

The blond languidly opened his eyes and locked his sight on the black form of his recently returned vassal. Hanzou wore nondescript black clothing complete with padded black shoes, black fingerless gloves and a black facemask and hood that he chose not to wear in the presence of his lord.

Though his external appearance remained statuesque, internally Kyuubi was nearing extreme exasperation. One of the demon's more renowned idiosyncrasies was his sense of the theatrical that he employed to a near ridiculous degree. It was something he actually had in common with his body's previous form. As such, Hanzou's physical appearance was near anathema to him. The man was almost completely average in every way, from his height, to his voice, facial features, clothing and lifestyle. Now that his age and injuries had disappeared, the man no longer had any real distinguishing characteristics. Kyuubi even wondered if Hanzou was actually born that way or if had had undergone plastic surgery.

Truthfully, the latter was actually more likely, especially when considering the man's emphasis on the philosophical aspects of ninja. Unlike many others, most predominantly his contemporary Sarutobi Sasuke who went on to become the third Hokage, Hattori Hanzou's skills were based around the traditional aspects of stealth rather than combat and his organization dubbed 'Root' reflected that.

As such, they were groomed to be the perfect spies.

After a few moments, Kyuubi killed his train of thought and returned his attention to his companion. Hanzou, being a master shinobi, immediately recognized the nonverbal cues and relayed his message.

"You have visitors."

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't been expecting anyone so his golems were still on high alert… and he was sure that the drawbridge never lowered.

"What kind?"

Hanzou deliberated for a moment before he reached a suitable answer.

"Peculiar."

Kyuubi raised his goblet and began swirling the liquid inside, staring into its shallow depths as though the clear liquid held the answer to his questions. The ambient singing reached a fevered pitch before cutting off and a blanket of silence descended on the chamber. Quickly, he brought the cup to his lips and took a long drink of the churning liquid, after which he deposited the empty chalice onto his throne's arm.

When the song began anew, it was in the dulcet tone of a woman and reminded him of a lullaby, though he couldn't consciously remember ever hearing one. A simple question remained in his mind.

How did he like his nectar? Still or turbulent?

Unbidden, a smile appeared on his face and Hanzou interpreted it clearly. The shinobi assumed the required position, standing rigidly facing the huge white double door, in front and to the right of his lord's throne and waited. Kyuubi raised his left arm and waved unnecessarily with great flourish. Immediately an invisible force began pushing the large doors open, letting sunlight streak in to brighten the isolated dimly lit room.

When the opening was large enough, figures obscured by shadows began marching towards the throne in a steady, confident gait, stopping at a respectable distance. By the time the procession ceased, the visitors numbered at least three dozen. The patron of Sanctuary was about to address his visitors when he noticed something astounding. Each and every one of the men and women that Hanzou had deemed peculiar possessed varying shades of black hair and onyx eyes… except for one. Even without that one, he would've recognized their familiar facial features the second he started paying attention.

Raw, bitter laughter rose unrestrained from his gullet as he watched his increasingly uncomfortable guests fidget in the wake of his discovery because suddenly, their very existence annoyed him. In particular the patterns of his personality that came from Naruto. A subtle intent to kill spread through the chamber, unsettling everyone it contacted. In response with his lord's displeasure and with even more subtlety, Hanzou's stiff stance loosened into one that favored attack.

Kyuubi's laughter died down and settled into a toothy smile. "Well, well, well… what did I ever do to get a visit from the illustrious… and supposedly historical Uchiha clan?"

The leader was having a hard time keeping his posture impassive. Maybe it was something about the way Kyuubi's smirk was just a little too wide or his cerulean eyes were a little too open but the demon's demeanor suddenly seemed incredibly threatening. The only Uchiha in the room with his sharingan activated grit his teeth and began to speak. "Demon lord Kyuubi, I am Madara of the Uchiha clan. We are here today to…" The Uchiha named Madara stopped speaking once it became clear Kyuubi was not paying him any kind of attention. The blonde demon was quite obviously searching the faces. Madara grit his teeth once more, though fear had little to do with it then.

Kyuubi eventually found the face he was looking for. "Itachi. Come here." The twenty-one year old ex-Akatsuki member nodded slightly before he began approaching his former target, only to be forced to stop by the hand of his superior.

The black pinwheel of the man's Mangekyou spun slightly as he tried to ingrain his authority. "_I _am the leader of this expedition, all actions have to pass through me first," Madara whispered harshly to the younger Uchiha.

But Kyuubi would have none of that. "And _I_ don't care about your so-called chain of command. I'll speak with Itachi whether you like it or not. Release him, now." When the shinobi looked fit to respond, a sharp and evident spike of killing intent served to change his mind. He quickly let go of Itachi's shoulder and the youngest Uchiha present resumed his steady pace as everyone watched on.

When two stood side by side, it was easy to see that Madara looked a lot like Itachi and his brother. It only made sense when he remembered that Itachi was to be the heir of the clan, which meant that his family was the most closely related to the clan's originator and if he had his facts right, then the conceited fool was the all important first Uchiha. The one who could actually still be called Hyuuga.

As Itachi fairly glided through the throngs of his fellow clansmen, the lord of the manor kept a discreet eye on the one called Madara and his barely concealed frustration. After a moment of purely physical attention, he went a little deeper and began analyzing the Uchiha's ego patterns. At this, the black haired man's head snapped up and stared directly at him with wide red eyes before he began trying to directly circumvent Kyuubi's efforts by calming his mind and emotions. Kyuubi merely smirked and continued undaunted. Madara's mind would never be able to fool his own. Not even in a dream.

When the blonde's eyes moved over Madara's mangekyou eyes, he found an extremely interesting fact about the sharingan itself.

_So__, that explains Itachi's Tsukuyomi… but how, and who? This is a little too coincidental… for it to be entirely unrelated._

Even as Itachi waited for his acknowledgement, Kyuubi moved his sight from the slightly shivering Madara and considered his descendants who, unlike their leader, were oblivious to his scrutiny and he had a feeling that their obliviousness had little to do with the sharingan. His findings weren't particularly reassuring. With the exception of Itachi, the Uchiha were extremely similar. The degree of variation in their personalities was lower than one percent. They were drones at best and clones at worst. In addition, none of them were particularly prone to sanity since he could detect two contradictory instincts in their blood.

Arrogance and hubris constantly clashed with their innate subservience when confronted with an undoubtedly stronger force.

_I knew the clan was unstable__, but this is just ridiculous._

Whoever had created the Uchiha clan had wanted them to be easily controllable, but determined, willful and intelligent… and they succeeded, to a degree. However, the end result was an obedient spawn highly susceptible to neurosis.

Now that he thought about it, Sasuke's actions whenever confronted with an obviously stronger foe made perfect sense now… so did his reaction to Naruto's fulgurous development. The way he saw it, Uchiha naturally categorized people in two different categories, the weak and the strong. The strong rule the weak. It was black and white in their minds.

However, when Naruto began to grow stronger, Sasuke must've felt threatened because if Naruto ever grew stronger than him, then the boy would've felt compelled to listen to him… and that clashed rather heavily with his previous behavior and experience.

In fact, Naruto's behavior must've been jarring to Sasuke since the beginning, since the boy refused to listen to those obviously stronger than him. It went against his instincts and Sasuke was never strong enough to go against himself. He could only do so when supported by Naruto or Sakura.

Neurosis was a rather large drawback when endowing humans with instincts. Instincts could ensure loyalty or other favorable traits, but humanity just wasn't built for it. Their minds were entirely too complex. If one wasn't careful, irregularities would become regular and the spawn would become unable to cope with life in society.

It was kind of ironic, all those girls really had to do to get Sasuke's attention was prove stronger than him.

Kyuubi turned to meet Itachi's impassive gaze and suddenly understood. Itachi was special. An irregularity among irregularities. He had a higher capacity for free will and independent thought than the other Uchiha… he might turn out to be useful.

Kyuubi decided to start with a familiar topic. One they had both heavily invested in.

"Does your brother know of this?"

The shinobi who once earned the nickname 'Paragon' nodded and answered. "He does."

"I see… and where is he now?" Kyuubi questioned.

"…Visiting old friends."

The demon frowned heavily. That didn't sound good at all. "His mental state?"

"Subtly neurotic."

Kyuubi chuckled slightly as he answered, "As expected, huh?"

It was a small inside joke that few would've found humor in. And yet a ghost of a smile appeared on the prodigy's face. It was his first actual facial expression of the conversation. The patterns of his personality coming from Naruto wanted to jump up and cheer at his success. The young blond never really grew out of his desire for attention and relished any and all forms of reaction from people who ignored him.

"Indeed," Itachi answered.

Kyuubi closed his eyes for a moment and decided that he'd gotten enough information from Itachi's lone expression. It was time to get serious.

"And your progenitor?"

Silence was his answer.

Kyuubi rolled his eyes and shook his head in disappointment before speaking to the whole group as if they were a particularly dimwitted group of children. "Come now, you didn't expect me to believe that you all managed to get past my defenses on your own? Itachi I could believe, but all of you? You're just not that skilled and I know you didn't fight your way in."

A quick glance showed that most of the clan was angered by his words, though only Madara showed his reaction physically.

_Hmm, he may be the most powerful… but he's definitely the least skilled of the lot. He shouldn't be in charge. Why put a man like that in charge of a unit of shinobi?_

"No, unless your master is a fool, you were sent here to either give me a message or interact with me. You have nothing of interest for me to hear so I assume she's using one of you to spy from afar…"

"Almost."

Kyuubi's azure eyes darkened to cobalt as he slowly turned to face an unassuming Uchiha woman. The woman, who he couldn't remember seeing before, grinned mischievously and waved at him. In return, she received a vicious glower and killer intent beyond anything she'd ever experienced.

To her credit, her grin didn't budge a mil even as all others reacted in some manner. Even Hanzou.

She began to approach him, her hips gyrating provocatively and her every movement exuding sensuality and sultriness, so that he knew what she was before she even began to shift forms. When she stopped a little ways from Hanzou's deceptively loose position, her kunoichi styled sandals were replaced with knee-length indigo boots with two inch stiletto heels. Her long legs were clothed in mauve tights with pictures of black bats patterned on the cloth. Her only other garment was a black half leotard with a small heart shaped opening over the stomach, that opened near the top so that the garb only covered part of her buxom breasts and left all of her cleavage visible, while still concealing her nipples. The leotard also included brown sleeves, though it left her shoulders bare. The two items were connected by a series of white strands of cloth made to resemble feathers.

The woman had emerald eyes and similarly colored straight hair that extended past her shoulders and stopped near her lower back. She had two pairs of bat wings of differing size with each wing topped with a sharp talon. The smaller pair extended from each temple of the humanoid demon and the larger pair grew from her lower back. She was slender and lithe, extremely curvaceous, beautiful in an exotic way and her breast size rivaled Tsunade's.

Kyuubi narrowed his eyes and intensified his glare. He realized that if she hadn't mocked him, he probably would've been attracted to her. That only pissed him off more.

"A succubus," Kyuubi stated blandly.

The woman smiled benignly. "You were expecting?" she asked with genuine seeming curiosity.

Kyuubi's sour disposition seemingly disappeared as he laughed cheerfully. His eyes shut lightly and his smile brightened his entire face, whisker marks included. He scratched at the back of his head and sheepishly said, "Something with a little more class."

The woman tilted her head and ignored the angry mutterings of her companions. "And the body of an orphaned delusional fool is classy?" she questioned rhetorically.

"Don't rely on Sasuke's interpretation of Naruto," the blond responded immediately, smiling still. "And if you insult his name again I'll use your remains to feed some of my plants," he added lightly. Kyuubi momentarily opened his eyes as he established a border. If she wanted to continue the conversation, she'd obey his wishes, otherwise…

The succubus watched him warily for a moment before granting him a terse nod. His eyes closed once more and his smile grew ever so wide.

"So!" He said cheerfully. "Do you have a name?"

"Do you?"

The blond opened his eyes and scratched his head again. "You already know it." He stated confusedly.

"Never underestimate the value of manners," the succubus said teasingly, waving a slender finger at him.

Kyuubi chuckled pleasantly and climbed to his feet. He kept direct eye contact and bowed slightly. "You may call me Kyuubi."

She smiled amicably and curtsied politely. "I am Morrigan of the Aensland clan."

As Kyuubi sat back on his throne, he noticed a slight glimmer of expectation in her eyes. "That name should probably ring a bell or two, but I'll save myself some trouble and assume I don't know you," said Kyuubi dismissively. The succubus known as Morrigan couldn't hold back her reaction and flinched.

_Slightly tense muscles… strained smile… __definite touchy subject. Oh yeah, she feels as though we have history. Well, she can't keep up appearances any longer so I win this round… time to get rid of the baggage._

"Hanzou… why don't you escort our guests outside while I speak with… Miss Aensland." His vassal nodded and began to escort a few of the Uchiha to meadow on the other side of the moat.

A glance revealed that Morrigan wasn't the only one feeling the pressure. Every being in the chamber aside from the two demons was a ninja. There was no way they could've missed the veiled threats and insults even with the lack of direct evidence such as physical posture and killer intent. In fact, the lack of such indicators should've actually increased their wariness. The Uchiha were all feeling the danger and most were smart enough to know when they were outmatched. They followed without complaint.

"Unacceptable!"

Kyuubi had to close his eyes and count to five before he could reign in his urge to kill the repetitive annoyance. When he opened his eyes to the world, Hanzou, Itachi and a few other Uchiha were out of sight while the others remained to wait for their leader's word. Morrigan remained suspiciously blank faced and tightlipped. The blond demon lord stood unhurriedly and walked past the beautiful succubus, noting that she pointedly avoided meeting his eyes.

He stopped in front of the furious man and looked into the taller man's spinning eyes. For the sake of diplomacy, he would offer him one last olive branch. "Uchiha Madara, your presence is no longer welcome between these walls. Leave or you will be forcefully escorted from the premises."

As expected, the original Uchiha burned the offering disdainfully. "I will not allow you to do as you wish. Lady Morrigan must not…" Kyuubi stopped listening then and paid closer attention to the disobedient fool's ego.

A moment was all he needed to discover Madara's problem. He snorted mirthfully. The man's actions made much more sense now. "You will not allow?" he asked incredulously. "Little fool. You've no power here. Leave." His examination also helped him understand that Madara would never leave Morrigan peacefully.

So when the man opened his mouth to undoubtedly use his last remaining course of action, Kyuubi mustered an immense gust of wind and drew the remaining clan members off their feet and threw them outside before they could react and continue to delay the inevitable. As the heavy doors began to move closer to one another, Kyuubi remembered that he needed to remove some of Hanzou's restrictions.

Before the doors closed completely, he gave his vassal his first task.

"Hanzou! Make sure no one steps inside this room, by any means necessary!"

Hattori Hanzou appeared in the ever decreasing crevice and nodded respectfully. He reached up to his neck and pulled his facemask until it molded his face, then covered his head with his hood. The shinobi's black eyes turned to the Aensland's back and stayed there until the doors closed with a deep, hollow sound.

The time for fake pleasantries was long over. The demons stood back to back, in tense anticipation.

"I'd revise my choice of subordinates if I were you. That one is nowhere near as skilled or as wise as Itachi," Kyuubi noted truthfully.

"Perhaps… but that one is my son," the revelation did not surprise him.

"So you really did spawn those things… What the hell were you thinking?" he accused harshly.

"Well, you know how these things are. His father and I were drunk, I didn't take the proper precautions… little Madara was an accident," Morrigan explained facetiously.

Kyuubi chuckled despite himself. "Heh… funny. Doesn't make it any less bullshit though."

"Perhaps."

However, the issue was important and the blond would not allow himself to be distracted for long. He continued his interrogation solemnly. "Surely you know how unstable they are… such pale imitations of human beings. What were you really trying to accomplish?"

"Nothing in particular." Her voice was blank, empty of feeling, even sensuality. It was highly unusual behavior for a succubus.

The whiskered adolescent sighed irritably and pointed out a simple truth. "You don't graft reality marbles to eyes by accident, Morrigan Aensland. Tell me, why do you want to kill me so badly? To go to such lengths is unusual."

"What gives you that idea?"

Kyuubi gestured indistinctly as he issued a strange statement. "It's all over, your enmity… I can practically taste it."

As his guest slowly turned to face his back, Kyuubi decided to give her one last piece of advice. "Madara's going to be a problem. I'm sure you're aware of his… rampant Oedipus complex. It is not helping his stability. Half-bloods are vulnerable that way."

The kitsune demon used the lull in their conversation to remove his intricate robes after which he threw them over Morrigan's head and onto his throne. Without the cumbersome garment, he was left barefoot in loose white silk pants and a matching sleeveless shirt.

He gathered enough youki to change his eye color and turned to face his opponent. "Well, let's see what you've got."

Morrigan's carefully fabricated visage shattered into an image of confusion and wariness. "What was that?" she asked carefully.

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow and smirked mockingly. "You think you're the first person to try and kill me? This isn't anything new to me. I'll fight you, just to see if you have anything worth learning. Besides, you might be more talkative after I've beaten you."

"Confident aren't you?" the succubus whispered under her breath with narrowed eyes and controlled breaths. She was nervous... and therefore sane.

Kyuubi shrugged dismissively. "With my track record? It's inevitable. However, don't assume I'll underestimate you. It'll help you last longer."

Morrigan flapped her wings sharply and Kyuubi cracked his knuckles. Information about the battle outside reached both their minds, as spawns and golems took damage, but was ultimately ignored in favor of more pressing matters.

A violent skirmish.

A white room... beautiful music.

Dangerous encounters.

The beginning of something exciting… dangerous.

Passionate.

War.


	7. The Devil is in the Details

Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter. About the Hyuuga situation, a few inaccuracies have come to my attention so I will explain it fully when it becomes relevant.

* * *

It was a nightmare. A mistake. In a moment of weakness, he'd broken his neutrality. He'd committed the worst sin known to the Hyuuga. 

He had not _seen_.

As the clan head, it was his duty to find the correct path on which to lead their privileged stock. He was their scout and their shepherd.

He had _failed_.

He had allowed himself to become blinded by ignorance and prejudice. He had chosen a side where he had believed there had been none. The fact that most had done the same meant nothing.

He was Hyuuga Hiashi, a cut above in both ability and responsibility.

"You know what must be done?" An elderly voice, ravaged by time but kept strong by the indomitable will imprinted in all clan members, delivered his ultimatum.

He had always known that it would come to this somewhere down the line, but he had hoped to put it off as long as was possible. Unfortunately, this newest failure forced him to concede on a few issues in order to appease the elder council. One of his major concessions was something that he'd managed to avoid doing since Hanabi's troubled birth almost twelve years prior; the official designation of his heir.

There were several reasons why he delayed such an important event for so long. At the time of his second daughter's birth, he attempted to convince the elders that Hinata's dismal performance required caution and greater examination. They were naturally reluctant to break tradition, but eventually surrendered to his superior logic. They spent the next few years scrutinizing every shred of evidence concerning his daughter's abilities and quickly came to the conclusion that Hanabi was the superior Hyuuga and fairly demanded that she be made heir.

He had refused on the grounds that he could not make a decision until they both gained a reasonable amount of practical experience. Since their current leader was perfectly healthy and Konoha was undergoing a period of unprecedented peace and prosperity, they acquiesced to his wishes.

However, with Kyuubi's reappearance and his subsequent alliance with the Godaime Hokage, not to mention the exclusion of every other political power in Konoha for an undisclosed period of time, the elders wanted an heir simply because his position was no longer secure. After all, Tsunade could declare him a traitor at any moment and no one would contest her decision.

Though his body did not betray him to the gaze of his elder's byakugan, Hiashi felt much sorrow for his offspring's plight. He had wished to spare his daughters the pain he and Hizashi had gone through, but he no longer had a choice. The only aspect of the situation that was even remotely positive was that the changed political landscape no longer favored the elder's preferred candidate which vindicated his original request. Hanabi's skill with the gentle fist would always be useful, but Hinata's friendship with the Kyuubi child was far more appealing at this point. Everyone in the village knew of Tsunade's exceptional beauty and though most at least considered the fox as a possible source, no one who had actually seen her cared. Infatuation and awe did much to conceal any faults. It seemed as though the Kyuubi no Youko was somewhat domesticated by its tenure as Uzumaki Naruto. The demon was no longer quite volatile and the lure of its power was undeniable. They would be fools if they let their fear overcome their better judgment. Such power would be quite profitable in capable hands.

Hiashi nodded shortly and walked the only path remaining in front of him.

"So be it. Hinata will be made official heir and Hanabi will be relegated to the branch family's organization," Hiashi unhesitatingly condemned both of his daughters to a life of servitude. One would serve an ideal and the other would serve its personification.

The elder Hyuuga nodded solemnly and both men left the room in silence.

Unfortunately, Hiashi remained oblivious to many paths, in spite of his recent experiences.

There were words to describe those who were too blind or too scared to see the paths in front of them. The fool could see nothing as he waded aimlessly through life. The so-called destined, the 'fated' could only accept one path, regardless of what they saw. A path may be wrapped in thorns or stained with blood, but it was a path all the same.

A boy younger than him had taught him that an eye could only see the truth; it could not understand it, apply it or believe in it. Neji may have been proficient with the byakugan, but that didn't necessarily make him observant. A boy with blue eyes, a wide smile and a dream had seen right through him. Just like he was now seeing through his uncle.

_Hiashi, you are a fool. Regret will not save you from your decisions and duty will never justify them. They will not forgive. Not this. Unlike my father you have a choice… and still, you do nothing._

The Hyuuga prodigy moved from his hiding spot and left the Hyuuga compound. The walls may block the byakugan, but they did nothing to stop sound. He would meet with his friends and together they would decide on a course of action. After all, there were many paths to choose from.

Neji stopped believing in destiny when he was a child. It had been a warm, sunny day.

* * *

Sometime between the moment he ducked under Morrigan's malleable wings and the time he weaved around her sizable youki projectiles, Kyuubi remembered something important. Something… vital to his existence. Something so fundamental, so natural… that he couldn't believe he'd ever forgotten. 

The blond easily deflected Morrigan's arm thrust with a firm forearm, though he performed the move with far more vigor than was required. He casually noted the multiple holes of varying sizes in her defenses… and stepped out of range.

Pleasure. Beyond his wildest expectations. He'd forgotten how it felt to fight.

The music died out a few lifetimes ago and was replaced by the rhythmic sound of his beating heart. He didn't have enough presence of mind left to verify if the sound was really as loud as he thought it was.

His nerves were misbehaving, rebelling against the tyranny of his will and forced his body to twitch incessantly, but only when he stood still. He was sweating heavily and the salty fluid escaped every pore of his skin in rivulets. His eyes were opened wide and didn't enjoy leaving Morrigan's emerald orbs for longer than was necessary. He was hot, unbearably so… his blood was rushing far too quickly and it left him lightheaded and dizzy but introspective. His face contorted into a vicious snarl if he didn't watch it carefully… and his attention was easily distracted.

It was odd. He could interpret his actions easily enough, but he didn't hate her. So why?

He felt sick. It felt like his stomach acids were squabbling against the rest of his body. He was losing control again… Control? Over what?

He didn't think that he had ever felt anything quite like this about any particular being before and if he had, then it certainly hadn't reached this magnitude.

Odd… that such a sensation would be pleasurable to him. He was sure that it was unusual.

Ah… she noticed. Or rather, he noticed that she had noticed. She was sweating too, though the liquid probably looked much better on her than it did on him. In sharp contrast with his nearly immobile spasmodic figure, she was hyperventilating and he doubted that it had anything to do with her level of exertion.

She was feeling it all right.

Her eyes were narrowed into slim openings that nearly radiated light as she watched him closely, almost obsessively. Her shoulders were trembling slightly and though her knees were holding her weight firmly, it didn't hide the fact that she was afraid.

He didn't blame her. He was scared too, somewhat. The killing intent he was unleashing went beyond anything he'd ever created willingly, even when he'd truly detested the target. Maybe it was because she was so strong… Kyuuhai had never really appreciated competition of any kind. But Naruto… the human had lived for these types of contests.

She had managed to hide the depths of her power from him during her introduction, but as soon as they'd started fighting she pulled out all the stops and attacked with abandon. In terms of power, she was one of the strongest beings he'd ever encountered, the very definition of S-Rank. He could understand how she could have fooled Sokou into believing that she had the power to defeat him. The fourth bijuu was still a fool, but that wasn't his fault.

Morrigan closed her eyes tightly, against what her instincts were probably telling her and took a long, shuddering, calming breath. She visibly rallied the courage and madness she needed to continue her attack and dashed towards him. He clenched his teeth and tried to hold on to his excitement lest he did anything inappropriate, like using his claws to tear into her flesh and bathe in her blood to vindicate his existence, Gaara style.

It was only then that he realized that he'd morphed his fingernails into sharp tools of carnage, and in doing so discovered the fact that he'd been channeling a large amount of youki. The realization opened a corner of his mind to conscious interpretation. The rush of energy brought a familiar feeling of power to his limbs and he felt as if he could separate Morrigan's pretty little head from her body with brute strength alone.

The succubus stepped into range and attacked with what he knew couldn't possibly be her top speed. He dodged once more and waited. He didn't attack… because he knew what would happen once he did.

Somewhere in his mind he believed that this was a mistake; that he shouldn't have been fighting her. That he needed to understand his reactions before he acted. But he was having fun and didn't want to stop… even if it was at her expense.

Unintelligible whispers that had rung through his mind for centuries suddenly became coherent once more. Intuitively, he paid close attention to the old voice even to the detriment of his defenses.

_**You are an even bigger fool than I had believed. **__**How can you possibly hope to understand your reactions when you do not even understand yourself?**_

Despite his insight, Kyuubi was surprised. He hadn't actually expected the voice to actually know anything about his predicament. _What?_

_**Huh? **_The voice seemed startled by his input. _**Oh right, you can actually hear me now… That is going to take some getting used to.**_

_Answer._ Short bursts of coherency were pretty much all he was capable of doing at the moment. Weaving around Morrigan's increasingly elaborate attacks probably had something to do with his inarticulate attempts at communication.

_**Eloquent aren't you? **_Kyuubi would've responded irritably if he hadn't been moving around Morrigan's speedy combination. He hadn't known that the succubus' lower wings were actually made out of bats… or that they could break apart and attack him independently. He was actually being forced to use **freedom of movement** to continue dodging her attacks. Not by climbing in altitude, but by supplementing his already flawless balance.

_**It is quite simple. You are as a young human undergoing puberty. Your body has changed and you do not know how to deal with it. **__**As a result, the barrier between your ego and your id is breaking at inopportune times.**_

He hadn't known that was possible._ What… what is causing this?_

The voice snorted ungracefully. The blond, red eyed demon was seriously starting to regret beginning this conversation._** Did you really think you could take over a human body without repercussions and stress? You are a demon… in body at least. You do not belong here.**_

_And you do?_ He asked spitefully. He was ignored as the voice continued its monologue.

_**You've always been a monster. A deviant… You don't belong anywhere. **_

He would've probably been angrier if he hadn't felt that it was the truth. _Why is that?_ He asked sedately. Unlike many others, that truth didn't hurt him in the least bit. Maybe he'd gotten used to it. Again, he was ignored as the voice gained an undercurrent of hatred.

_**You were always too lucid to be a **__**true demon… even when you weren't. But you are too powerful to be human…**_

Even under the pressure Morrigan was applying, Kyuubi understood immediately that the voice wasn't either.

_You__'re a creature…_ he remarked casually. The voice stopped speaking immediately. It began to respond with hesitance.

_**Yes… I suppose I do fit ins**__**ide your definition of the word. But then again… so do you… as you hate all beings equally.**_

He would've laughed right then if could've spared the time. The feminine demon was quickly overcoming her fear and started to apply her wits to her attacks. He batted away a few bats and roared savagely at an agglomeration of youki to dissipate it. The move successfully bought him a few precious seconds. Even so, he knew that he couldn't go on much longer.

He was getting tired of dodging.

_How do I regain control over myself?_ His fluency returned to him as he focused on his conversation.

_**Simple. You must understand. **_The voice said plainly.

The answer disappointed him. He'd been hoping for something a little more concrete. Still, he dismissed the feeling and asked a more pertinent question. _Tell me something, if you're a creature only from my point of view, how would others define you?_

The normally clear speech came to him as muffled whispers interrupted by intermittent silence. The voice had apparently attempted to distance itself from him. Unsure of himself but unwilling to let the subject lie, he attempted to will himself closer to the voice and draw out a response of any kind. _What was that? Are you going to answer my question or not?_

The entity at the other end of the link seemed surprised and scorned his very presence. It was like the type of long standing animosity he'd felt from Morrigan. It had managed to hide it admirably, but apparently he and the voice had history as well. He wondered why he was suddenly being visited by forgotten foes… right up until it answered his question.

_**God**_, The voice hissed, spraying its hatred in his general direction.

In the wake of his shock and horror, Morrigan's deceptively delicate fist slammed into his jaw. His control snapped along with his jawbone.

* * *

Overall, the initial part of the plan's execution was completed easily. She had planned for more strife than what had actually occurred. Her position as the Hokage's apprentice gave her a lot of leeway and her knowledge of Tsunade's personal habits and secret hiding places made everything much simpler and far less time consuming. Of course, there was no way for her to bypass her mentor's private seals, but at least she had learned enough to overcome the setback caused by the self-destruct functions and access the actual information. If Tsunade was conscious and in range, she should have become aware of the breach the instant it occurred. Normally, that would've been a large impediment, but Sakura knew for a fact that her mentor was sleeping over five minutes away. By the time she arrived on location, Sakura would be long gone. 

Searching for information around town revealed that Naruto was living in a fortified citadel somewhere near Konoha. Unfortunately, she had no idea where it was and since it wasn't connected to any roads she couldn't just leave and confront her teammate. The hunter-nin would catch up with her long before she even reached the walls. If she was to have a chance to speak with him, she would have to reach his doorstep before anyone found out she was gone. To do that, she couldn't lose any time locating him and since that particular tidbit of information was classified, she needed to break into Tsunade's locker.

A normal intruder would have assumed that the official looking papers and scrolls placed in plain sight or the ones cleverly hidden in various caches to be the real prizes, but the pink-haired kunoichi knew better. The truly interesting and personal information was written on impermeable paper and placed in Tsunade's large collection of sake bottles. Since the bottles were organized in a complex pattern that she had long since become aware of in her search for information relevant to Sasuke, she had known that the most recent information was stored in the third drawer and acquired it with minimal fuss and without leaving a trail.

Armed with the citadel's surprisingly close location, she headed for the city whose walls rested just beyond the horizon, anticipating and hoping to be granted an audience with her team-mate. What awaited her at her destination was simultaneously shocking and utterly unsurprising. Because she had known for a long time that her once-upon-a-time diminutive team-mate was the number one most surprising ninja in Konoha. Such events were expected around him, which is why she left Konoha in full battle gear.

* * *

The initial part of Shikamaru's plan's execution was accomplished flawlessly. With Hinata's byakugan, over ninety percent of the risks involved were eliminated. If all went well, Sakura would never even know they were there until it was too late to do anything about their presence. 

One of the little known facts about Konoha's administration and organization was that the higher ranking shinobi were mostly separated into affiliated groups. A particular chuunin is far more likely to have a mission with friends than he is with any random ninja. It was why Naruto rarely had to work with Kiba in the wake of one of their pranking contests. Konoha's administration constantly updated these 'gangs' through the use of Konoha's primary interior spy network.

Despite appearances, Konoha was a ninja village. There were eyes and ears everywhere. Most of them were hidden in the one place where shinobi were least likely to look: in the forefront. The best shinobi learned quickly to never assume that villagers were harmless. They may not be able to use chakra or pose a significant threat to any academy graduate, but the great majority of them were born and raised in Konoha. The best way to learn personal information about anyone in the village was to listen to gossip.

To the eyes of most onlookers, the group gathered on the rooftop would be recognized as one of the most prominent groups of recent years. Not only because of the high skill of the members themselves, but because it was the group that previously included the infamous container of the nine-tailed fox, Uzumaki Naruto.

Seven (or eight counting Akamaru) members of the group dubbed 'Prodigy' were crouched around their strategist when one of the few Jounin belonging to the group joined their impromptu conference.

Neji nodded politely to the other members before turning to address his cousin. "Hinata-sama, I must speak with you," he declared solemnly.

The gentlest Hyuuga nodded carefully and courteously denied his request as she utilized her byakugan. "Can it wait until later? Sakura-san is heading for the village wall and I don't think she intends on stopping."

"I see," and a handseal later, he did. The kunoichi was dangerously determined as she silently stalked past the chuunin sentries. He hadn't known she could be so stealthy. "Shikamaru, which of us will pursue?" Neji asked calmly. There was rarely ever a need to explain a plan to him and he knew Shikamaru appreciated that about him.

Before Shikamaru could answer, Hinata's dulcet voice rang out with resolution. "I will go," she told them.

It was his duty to make at least a nominal attempt at changing her mind. "Hinata-sama…"

The Hyuuga heiress locked eyes with him, something she would've never done even a year before. "You will not change my mind Neji-niisan. There is something I must see with my own eyes," she informed him with such sincerity that he would've agreed even if he had been opposed to the idea.

With their little quarrel over, Shikamaru was free to continue. "Alright then. Hinata, Neji and I will pursue."

"Why you three?" Ino questioned her team-mate. Normally Kiba was the first one to question his orders, but he has been particularly downhearted since Naruto's death. In fact, the group as a whole was stone-faced and unnaturally grim. Even Lee's raging youthful flames had dimmed.

Shikamaru took his time to look at each of them as he spoke. "What we are doing is not only dangerous, it is also illegal. The village is a political mess right now, so only those with secure standing inside their clans are applicable. It may provide a buffer to any repercussions. This mission requires stealth and pursuit above all things. Fifteen minutes after we leave, I want you all to find the Hokage and inform her of the situation. If all goes well, you should be allowed to come reinforce our position. Are we clear?" Shikamaru asked. He received nine sharp nods.

A moment later, they were gone.

* * *

**IMPULSE**

A moment after impact, the pain rushed through his mind and blanketed all superfluous thoughts. All that was left was…

**IMPULSE**

Kyuubi immediately used **freedom of movement** to arrest his momentum before he was thrown away and countered with a blistering left hook that landed with a satisfying crack on his opponent's exquisite jaw. As Morrigan was propelled across the room, he initiated **Fata Morgana** and subtly blanketed the room with an illusion. While his mirage pursued the succubus into close combat, Kyuubi gained altitude and gathered youki for an attack.

"Bomber." Third stratum.

A thin conical stream of flame flowed from his finger and hurtled towards the ground. The release of energy was immediately detected by his opponent and served to dismantle his illusion. The demoness quickly assessed her situation and covered her body with her wings. However, she severely underestimated the force of the impact caused by several megatons of tightly compressed flame. The stream knocked her onto her back as it crashed down and buried her under scorching heat. Morrigan's agonized screams tore past the sound of his own heartbeat and buried themselves into his mind.

The inferno flared brightly but could not hide anything from him. He saw with great clarity how his opponent's struggles against the scorching stream's pressure gained fervor as damage accumulated and gradually overpowered her natural resistances, defenses and convalescence. However, even as he inflicted considerable amounts of damage Kyuubi realized that he would have to change tactics soon. Already her desperation and natural strength were helping her surmount the setbacks on her mobility.

Abruptly, he cut the flow of his attack and rushed through the fading flames. He touched ground running, grabbed his recovering adversary by the scalp and drove her face into the wall with savage intensity. In any other building, the force he exerted would've destroyed the wall because few materials could handle the stress of the impact. Unfortunately for Morrigan, the walls of his tower were built to handle massive amounts of energy in all its forms including mechanical and as a consequence, the white walls were incredibly unyielding. Therefore, the act of smashing her face against the wall was far more damaging than it should've been.

Kyuubi pulled his arm back and was about to witness the next session of the limp succubus' torrid affair with the wall when acute pain blared from his right shoulder. The blond barely managed to escape out of range before Morrigan's bladed wing repeated its performance with his neck.

The Uchiha matriarch rested on her hands and knees and took heaving breaths as she stared at him furiously. Superficially, she seemed as undamaged as she had during his attack but he knew better. Demons of her caliber didn't start showing damage until their regeneration failed or they were critically injured. Of course, the undamaged appearance didn't do anything about pain or heal anything, so the advantage was purely cosmetic. As he understood it, it was a matter of pride, vanity or something in between.

The heated blood that ran down his disabled arm and dripped from his twitching fingers escaped through pulsing veins and served to cool him down. He absentmindedly slowed his healing rate and took the chance to analyze the fight with a relatively clear head. Overall, everything was as he expected. The succubus was highly resistant to damage, but that wasn't unexpected. From what he could see, she didn't have what it took to defeat him.

She may have been S-class in terms of power, but it would take more than that to keep up with him. Succubi weren't exactly the most combat oriented demons in existence and their offensive capabilities reflected that. She simply didn't have the abilities required to deal with him. In their current situation, she would've been much more successful if she had used attacks with greater range. She had allowed him to get by on dodging her attacks and setting the pace of their encounter.

Morrigan's body was better suited for storing energy than his, which meant that she had access to more powerful attacks and defenses. However, his energy well had a deep bottom and recovered spent energy with unmatched speed. The power of his actions was limited, but extremely consistent. He could fight at his current maximum indefinitely but the same could not be said for her. Even if he couldn't hold enough energy to break through her protections, he could easily wear them down. Since he could outmaneuver her at every turn, it was just a matter of time.

That said… Morrigan was S-ranked and Kyuubi wasn't stupid enough to underestimate her. It wasn't unheard of for demons of such power to develop anomalies, previously unknown equations or instincts. In addition, it was also highly likely that a demon of her power and natural desirability had a number of vassals from which she could acquire formulas. Something about her performance didn't fit…

It wasn't hard for him to realize that the Aensland princess wasn't a front line fighter. She was strong and she could hold her own in a fight, but she didn't seem like the type of demon that excelled or even preferred direct combat. There was no way that she entered his territory without being aware of her disadvantage. That she had an ace up her sleeve was almost a certainty. He didn't like it.

Morrigan eased off her glare and languorously got to her feet. "Enough…" she whispered as her face adopted a look of concentration. Shortly after, her larger wings completely dissolved into clouds of fluttering bats. She took a long, shuddering breath and repeated herself. "Yes, enough," Kyuubi neutrally noted that the word was spoken with far more confidence and intensity. His indifference left him when her emerald hair began to wave in an invisible wind and her bats began flashing in an achromatic white. The succubus bent her knees and lifted her arms in a way that suggested that she was supporting something heavy on her shoulder. The seductress recited her technique's name in monotone. The bats blinded him briefly. He detected signs of a large expenditure of youki.

Something was coming.

"**Total**** ascendancy, Marble Phantasm.**"

Kyuubi was nearly surprised into despondency. Whatever he had expected, this wasn't it. Sitting on Morrigan's curvy bare shoulder was what looked like a ten foot long, black and purple, shoulder mounted energy cannon. The muzzle was circular shaped with a diameter of four or five inches and extended from the cannon's main body for about three inches. The cannon's design was styled after the bats it was made from. Two pairs of purple and black wings jutted out from the front and a large claw hung from the back. A visor with two lenses hung in front of her eyes, the left green and the other purple. Overall, the number of wires and pistons was far lower than he would've expected from such a weapon.

Of course, the chances of her weapon being a genuine energy cannon were exactly nil. Those things were old, _old_ human relics. Not only were they extremely difficult to create, they were also near impossible to maintain. There was no way she managed to get a hold of one and kept it in workable condition. To do that, she would've had to learn how it worked.

Morrigan fingered the trigger lightly as she grinned happily in his general direction. _Bitch._ Kyuubi would've attacked right then but his reason held him in check. Since he didn't know the weapon's charge time, it would be better if he waited until she let a shot go before he charged her.

For a few tense seconds, all was silent. Kyuubi couldn't hear his heartbeat anymore and his wound had long since finished healing. Then, a mechanical whine reached his ears as the back of the weapon thrust back sharply. A second later, he was jumping aside to dodge a surprisingly fast ten inch cylindrical beam of glowing light. Instead of immediately charging Morrigan, Kyuubi decided to make sure the beam was no longer a threat by watching it dissipate.

That decision saved his life.

As he turned his head to watch the wall, he noticed something that he hadn't known was there: a large triangular crystal prism. Kyuubi's eyes widened as he considered the implications. Normally, there was no way that what he was contemplating could happen since the beam wasn't really light, but his paranoia wouldn't let him calm down. It was proved right when the beam hit the prism and separated into twenty-four identical two inch wide beams of white light that flew off throughout the chamber. He wasn't too worried since none of the small beams were going to hit him until he noticed the multitude of small round mirrors that definitely hadn't been there a moment ago. His dread was heightened when many of the beams reflected off the mirrors and headed in his general direction.

The next few seconds were a blur of frantic motion as Kyuubi dodged the fast beams of light. It didn't take him long to realize that dodging was taking every single bit of focus he had as he concentrated on **beta energy analysis** to detect the energy constructs and the beams of light, **freedom of movement** to dodge them and **remote atmospheric influence** to survive the high speeds. If he counterattacked, he would probably take a hit in the process. Directly attacking the gunner wasn't an option as she had four of the beams and sixteen mirrors in constant movement around her. Even if he could get past them, there was still the possibility of another shot.

The Aensland lord was stationary though… and she was concentrating on the mentally operated mirrors which meant that she pretty much was a sitting duck. He decided to take the risk and was forced to divide his attention to charge youki to his bomber syndrome. Unfortunately, Morrigan seemed to have been waiting for that to happen. The many mirrors around him quickly lessened the distance between themselves and his dodging figure to intensify their attack. Kyuubi immediately attempted to escape their constricting sphere and almost succeeded when he was tagged by one of the rays.

An unearthly scream tore itself from his throat as the worst pain he'd ever felt bombarded his senses. His active equations abruptly shut down and the momentum from his speedy movement carried him down until he slammed painfully into the ground. He didn't even feel the impact.

He felt as though hundreds of thousands of jagged needles were tearing into his flesh from the inside. Thick blood welled up in his throat and he lost consciousness. Luckily, his various instincts were as sharp as always and immediately worked to force him back into the world of the living and succeeded on the spot. Kyuubi momentarily regained himself and used atmospheric influence to throw his limp body away from the descending beams of death. The twenty rays hit the floor and proceeded to utterly destroy it. Some sections merely shattered but others exploded and showered the nearby area with fragments of stone as the attack overloaded their capacity for containing energy. Morrigan gasped sharply at the sight. She obviously hadn't expected him to be conscious and failed to prepare for the eventuality. She probably could've finished him off with the beams circling her body, but wasn't willing to leave herself defenseless. Instead, she summoned the prism to her and prepared another shot.

The few seconds of respite helped the blond immensely. He was well on his way to recovery and desperately tried to understand what the hell had happened. The beam had barely even scratched his arm but it had completely disabled him. He coughed out a glob of blood spitefully. He couldn't understand it. The only real clue he had was the fact that the old voice that claimed to be a god seemed to have been injured by that attack as well. His screams certainly gave that impression.

_What the__ hell was that?_

_**Injured… soul… **_the voice gasped out.

_She what?_ Kyuubi fairly yelled in response.

_**Yes… she… somehow bypassed every barrier in existence and struck out at your core. She cannot be allowed to exist. Destroy her, Kyuubi.**_ The old voice ordered as he regained his composure.

_And how the hell am I supposed to do that?_

The voice was silent. Kyuubi growled and jumped from the bloody floor, fully healed. The first round was undoubtedly his, but she had taken the second. He was at a disadvantage and they both knew it. She had the equivalent of a fucking deus ex machina and all he had was his wit, a little power and lots of ways to use it.

First things first, he had to find a weakness. By what those things did to his floor, he knew that they took a lot of energy to create. Judging by her energy levels, she could only fire that thing once or twice more. If he could only get rid of the mirrors and force the beams to hit the walls… Unfortunately, he couldn't stop concentrating on dodging or he'd simply get hit again. And there was no way he would allow that to happen.

_**I will help.**_

Kyuubi scoffed. _You? Why and how could you possibly help me?_

The voice answered somberly. _**I do not wish to cease existing. If you allow it, I can control a few of your equations and lessen your mental strain.**_

Kyuubi started violently. _Wait a minute, you're __inside__ me?_

* * *

"What are you guys doing here?" Sakura screeched in whisper-speak. 

Shikamaru, who was always prepared for things like this, didn't even blink in the face of her ire. "Do you even know what you're doing," he asked calmly.

Sakura calmed down as well. "Don't get in my way," One-third of her meaning was request and the rest was a threat. She would go through them if she had to.

Shikamaru nodded in understanding and gestured vaguely. "Lead the way."

Team seven's lone female eyed his two companions suspiciously but acquiesced when they expressed their agreement. With an annoyed huff, she turned and continued on her way, leading her three associates towards her destination which was already within eyesight. It didn't take long for the quartet to reach the clearing surrounding the wall.

The group descended from the branches and dashed across the glade's soft grass until they approached the moat and the towering city walls. Since they were so thick, none of them really knew what lay beyond them. They stood silently, lost in themselves, wondering when things went so wrong like so many others before them. Sakura recovered first and was about to take a chakra enhanced step when the Hyuuga stopped her.

"Sakura-san / Don't step on the water." Hinata and Neji called out simultaneously.

The pink haired kunoichi warily eyed the two Hyuuga. "And why not?" She asked the elder of the two.

"There's something in the water. Chakra… red… but I can't see a shape," warned Neji. Shikamaru watched the interaction silently.

Sakura was certainly going to offer some sort of snappy remark but she was interrupted by the sound of shifting water. She jumped away from body of water and took out a few kunai. She wasn't prepared for what she saw.

A large blob of murky water rose from the moat and changed shape until it took a humanoid outline… a tall humanoid outline. The liquid man was at least seven feet tall and loomed over the ninja. Things were tense until it spoke to them.

"Haruno Sakura?" A deep voice gargled out.

The kunoichi in question lowered her weapons… slightly. "What are you?" she didn't bother hiding her awe or her slight nausea.

"I am golem, Sanctuary's legion. Do you wish to enter?" it asked in its odd voice. It didn't seem to be insulted by Sakura's question, but none of them knew if it could even feel, let alone be offended.

Sakura hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Find the drawbridge and we will grant you entry," said the golem before it merged with the water.

Shikamaru was going to warn Sakura to be cautious but she rushed off before he could get a word in.

The Nara sighed. "Troublesome…" Nevertheless, he moved to catch up with Tsunade's apprentice.

When they reached the large wooden drawbridge, it was still in its raised position, but the golem they had 'met' was there waiting for them.

"I will lower the bridge. Be careful, as we are under attack."

Naturally, being trained ninja, they were alarmed by such a statement. They each wanted to do something about their newfound discovery but since the… organism had disappeared and the bridge was being lowered, it was simply too late.

Shikamaru grit his teeth in annoyance. Why did he always have to deal with hotheaded ninja?

"What do you see?"

Hinata gazed past the gaping hole in the wall with her byakugan and saw… "Forest… it's like nothing was done outside of building the wall… Beyond that I see more of those creatures and… Uchiha?" She asked with wonder. She turned to face her cousin and he nodded in confirmation. She wasn't going crazy.

No matter how she wished otherwise, the chances of it being Sasuke were quite low. "Itachi's here?" Sakura asked angrily.

When Hinata shook her head, hope sprang up to her throat but was quickly dashed by the heiress' following statement. "No… Uchiha as in more than one."

Shikamaru frowned but quickly decided to take her words at face value. "How many?" He asked Neji, whose byakugan surpassed Hinata's.

"…A small army. Over thirty."

The shadow user shut his eyes tightly as a headache blossomed in his mind. This was turning out to be the most troublesome day he'd ever had to live through. "Shit… How many creatures?"

"Around the same number… but there are lots more camouflaged in the woods and in the water. Some more underground. They're holding their own pretty well," Neji remarked cheerily. For some reason, he found the whole situation slightly humorous. He always did when he saw something crazy and impossible. It reminded him of Naruto. That was something Shikamaru didn't appreciate about Neji. Not at all.

In fact, he was about to show Neji just how much he hated that about him when Sakura spoke up.

"They left Sasuke-kun alone… if they were alive then I can't forgive them."

Shikamaru's headache doubled in force. He had hoped, really truly hoped that he wouldn't have to go through with it. For once, the situation had nothing to do with them. They could have just left without any serious repercussions. "You can't seriously want to…" He tried to reason with her.

She faced him and told him, "They're missing-nin aren't they?"

Well, there was nothing he could say to that… that she would accept anyway. Why did she have to point it out?

* * *

Hanzou narrowed his eyes as a golem used their bond to forward a message to him. He absently used his tanto to deflect a kunai and regretfully ordered a few water golems to intensify their attack. There were no casualties on either side and injuries were quickly taken care of. Golems regenerated by themselves and the Uchiha had produced quite a few medic-nin over the years. He recognized some of them in the crowd. 

Hanzou suspected that none of the Uchiha really wanted to interfere in their mistress' fight, but they were also obligated to at least appear like they were obeying Madara's orders. Kyuubi's vassal understood their situation perfectly and didn't want to give them a hard time about it. As a result, the golems were lax in their attack and their commander made sure to keep Madara occupied.

But now that his master's friends were here, he could no longer afford to play with the intruders. He would have to personally tend to the guest's wellbeing and he couldn't end this fight in one, overwhelming blow. Someone else had to coordinate the golem's attack and occupy Morrigan's son.

It was time to bring out the heavy weapons.

Behind Hanzou, the life-sized statue of Kyuubi wrapped around the tower abruptly stopped spewing water.

* * *

Kyuubi was swept up in an intricate dance as he practiced dodging at high speeds around Morrigan's laser attack. He soon came to realize that in the end, there was no difference. He'd let the old voice take care of **atmospheric influence** and **beta analysis**, but there was no real difference in his movements before and after the shift. It was exactly as if he'd been controlling them himself, only without the mental strain… and if he was right, he probably was. 

The lessened strain allowed him to move at his top speed and still take his mind off the battle and he used the opportunity to clarify a few things. _I see… that's your ability. You can turn an equation into an instinct._

_**Yes… d**__**epending on the equation. I cannot control your body in any way and your will trumps mine every time.**_

_Interesting._ What really interested him were the implications and consequences of that ability, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. Morrigan's laser beams of doom were getting closer and closer to hitting him and he knew that it wasn't a coincidence. _She's predicting my movements isn't she? _Kyuubi asked rhetorically.

_**It would appear so. The weapon's visor is the most likely culprit.**_

For a moment, Kyuubi wondered why he wasn't surprised. He stopped wondering when he remembered that Morrigan had created the sharingan. _How long do I have before she gathers enough data on my patterns to score a direct hit?_

_**Under forty seconds.**_

_That low? I gave myself at least a minute._

_**Your ego blinds you to many things.**_

_I'll take your word for it asshole_

Forty seconds… he only had enough time to get one shot at beating her technique… even if he had more time, a particular approach would only work once thanks to that stupid visor of hers. If he was to have any chance of success, he would have to learn more about his target.

Kyuubi dropped to the ground and proceeded to sidestep, roll, flip and perform gravity defying feats in order to navigate his way around the barrage of lasers. As soon as an opening appeared, the blond poured on the speed to catch the closest mirror. In mid rush, a beam was deflected into his path and he had to force his forearm to bend in the opposite direction in order to avoid a hit.

The self-inflicted injury was painful, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. It was gone in a moment anyway.

When he was out of immediate danger, he reached for the polished surface, only to have it disintegrate and reform out of his reach. A moment later, he was once again compelled to push his flexibility to its limits and beyond. His one chance to capture a mirror had failed.

But he had managed to touch it.

Instinct blared.

**Intricate situational awareness, absolute method of understanding.**

The first skirmish was a tie at best and a loss otherwise. He had traded information for information. The knowledge he gained from the youki construct was counterbalanced by the knowledge Morrigan gained. She now had a better idea of his top speed, which was definitely a bad thing.

The knowledge he managed to steal made the puzzle much clearer, at least. From that information, he managed to draw three relevant facts.

First, he couldn't break them.

Second, he couldn't move them.

Third, he couldn't create them. Why? Because they were impossible. They shouldn't have been able to exist in reality, let alone interact with anything else. Learning about the constitution of the mirrors also helped him realize that the beams would simply rip through any chakra constructs and most obstacles. He couldn't just surround himself in zero ice and wait patiently.

But where did that leave him? He didn't have a plan anymore. He couldn't dodge the lasers forever but he couldn't stop them.

_**Ten seconds…**_

Shit… he couldn't let it end like this.

_**Seven…**_

Not here… not now…

_**Four…**_

Not. Her!

_**Three…**_

Suddenly, Kyuubi saw the arrangement of mirrors with crystal clarity. He saw their current position, their angles and the path the incoming lasers would take. From his current position, no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to dodge them all.

_**One…**_

He saw the mocking grin on Morrigan's face, and he knew rage.

There was only one thing left to do. One last option. An equation he almost rejected outright, considering the utmost contempt he held for their source, not to mention the unpleasant side-effects. However, in order to beat Sasuke's many times great-grandmother into the ground, he would even sacrifice his sanity. He would not lose.

When the beams of energy reached him, he made a valiant and desperate attempt at escaping alive. He would always be unwilling to give up without a fight.

* * *

Morrigan Aensland would never truly understand what happened then. 

One second she was watching her greatest dream unfold and the next, the bane of her existence was standing inside her defenses with his clawed hand buried deep in her chest. Her blood flowed onto his forearm as she stared at him incomprehensibly. The shock may have numbed the pain, but it also destroyed her reaction time. She did exactly nothing as he grabbed her concept weapon and savagely threw it across the room.

Before she could call it back to her or mentally shift her mirrors to attack, he pulled his hand out and cradled her face with his hands, one pristine and the other dirtied with a mixture of their blood. He then looked deeply into her eyes.

She knew darkness.

She understood what was happening, but she realized that there was nothing she could do to stop him. Her Marble Phantasm was activated and in a different reality. Her reality marble was unusable until the weapon was dispelled. She could do nothing.

With a flash of light, she knew the form of her enemy… a wicked fox with nine colossal tails and fur wreathed in flames. It roared mightily. There was no echo.

She knew pain.

* * *

"Hmm…" hummed Kyuubi as he stood over his fallen opponent, victorious and apparently sane. "Looks like I inherited Naruto's luck after all." Without Morrigan's control, the mirrors fell to the floor and released the remaining beams which then proceeded to further damage his tower. 

_**You mean to tell me that you had such an equation and didn't use it? Are you brainless or just insane?**_

_Hey, watch it. Besides, how was I supposed to know I wasn't going to go insane?_

_**That's what you were worried about? Fool. Understand your situation. You aren't fully demonic anymore. It takes more than oblivion to damage a human mind… especially the one you're currently operating from.**_

_Is that so…_

The voice increased his flustered grumbling so Kyuubi just ignored him. If what he said was true then matter displacement just got a lot more useful. He was suddenly glad that he'd bothered to hunt down all those leprechauns. However, it wasn't something he could use repeatedly. Now that he'd used the equation, he also understood its weaknesses.

After using it, there was a cool down period of about ten seconds. When the equation is activated, the user's energy is separated. Two fifths go to the destination and the rest stays at the starting point. When the user reenters reality, he still has access to his entire energy supply but that doesn't change the fact that it's fragmented. If the user happens to use the technique again before his energy stabilizes, the energy that was left at the starting point dissipates and he is left with forty percent of his power plus whatever energy managed to unite with it. At full power, he would waste his nine tails plus a chunk of his core energy and that was a lot more than he was comfortable using on a single technique. Besides, the exit point was also detectable. Of course, since the movement was instant, the enemy had no time to prepare but that wasn't the point.

He had many things to think about, but had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Golem Factory, God of Death doppelganger, fifth stratum." The quantity of youki he invoked burned his body unpleasantly, but he couldn't afford to do a half-assed job. He levitated the damaged succubus' limp body, moved her to and undamaged section of the wall and froze her limbs against it, leaving her to hang in an aesthetically pleasant manner.

The puppet god turned to him and awaited instruction. Kyuubi spared an unfeeling glance to the unconscious beauty. His claw marks were almost gone. She would probably regain consciousness shortly. He nodded towards the weapon on the other side of the chamber and gave his order.

"Seal it."

His transparent doll floated away obediently to do his bidding and Kyuubi patiently waited, lost in thought. If what he suspected was even remotely true, then she was going to hurt. He was knocked from his reflections when his tool informed him of a slight complication. Apparently, the weapon wasn't fully corporal.

"Needs an anchor huh?" The blue eyed demon rubbed his chin thoughtfully before giving the god a suggestion. "Try anchoring it to me then."

The doppelganger may have been a uniquely skilled god, but in the end, it was only a marionette. In its existence, words like 'suggestion' and 'request' didn't exist. There were only orders. The real god of death would've told Kyuubi that his proposal was impossible. The puppet did no such thing. It could only act.

In its position, it did the only thing it could in the face of Kyuubi's order. It reached for the weapon and began the process.

The real god of death would've expressed shock and befuddlement when it realized that its attempt at binding the weapon to Kyuubi was actually working. The puppet did no such thing. It could only act.

* * *

Morrigan awoke to the shrill ache of muscle spasms and spiritual agony. Her throat convulsed painfully as blood bubbled up and ravaged its way into her mouth. The crimson fluid dripped from her mouth onto her breasts and cleavage and ran unpleasantly under her clothes. She coughed violently to dislodge the obstruction in her throat and took heaving breaths once the path was relatively cleared. In the silence and darkness, she began working on her vague recollection of recent events. 

She remembered meeting Sokou after he opened one of her dimensional gateways. She remembered the ever-increasing anticipation that preceded her arrival on Sanctuary and her first meeting with her father's killer. She could never, ever forget the following battle and her unconditional defeat. She recalled her brief but memorable sojourn inside of Kyuubi's reality marble… and the suffering she had felt afterwards. A sizable part of her had been forcefully ripped away and isolated from her. She felt tired, weak, depressed and violated. He'd taken her Marble Phantasm… her precious Soul eater. Somehow, he'd managed to rip away the section of her soul that permanently housed it.

Otherwise she was pretty much intact, but the loss of her custom made concept weapon was a heavy one. It had taken her many years to recover the entirety of her power and that length of time didn't include the centuries it had taken her to even craft a workable plan. At this point, even if she could gather the required number of Uchiha women and expand her soul to its natural limits, she wouldn't be able to find it in herself to rebuild the weapon. It had taken her ten years of constant work to build the original Soul eater… she could not do it again and not just because she lacked time. The weapon had been a part of her. Now that it was gone, she somehow knew that she couldn't ever make a duplicate. It was as if she lacked the inspiration.

She would have to find another way.

A clawed, wet and sticky hand cradled her face and ripped away all delusions of survival. Dread rose like a tide and washed away her determination and hope for the future. Kyuubi had taken all light in her existence leaving only the rage and fury of the unavenged, an uncontrolled bonfire that would only burn the land and scar the remains of her soul. She truly hated him then, for changing her into something she didn't want to be, into a leader… for beating her and invalidating untold years of planning and hard work… for breaking her… totally and utterly.

She lifted her eyelids and wearily stared into the orbs of her executioner. A treacherous part of her, old instincts that she couldn't ignore in her weakened state, forced her to remark that with soft blue eyes, he looked surprisingly attractive. The eyes of his war mode spoke of wrath and destruction from crimson to vermillion and contrasted sharply with the benignity and purpose of cerulean, azure and midnight. To complete the transformation, the whisker like symbols that adorned his cheeks went from savage to refined and altered his appearance from a beast to a lord. The change was uncanny.

He smiled slightly and she relaxed unconsciously. He had no malicious intentions.

"Well, I've got to say. That certainly looked painful," he remarked in an inappropriately casual but not unpleasant manner. If she didn't know any better, she would think that he was trying to start a conversation.

* * *

"You know… uh…" Sakura faltered as she realized that she didn't know the petite being's name. 

The fairy smiled brightly and fluttered her wings cutely until Sakura and Hinata couldn't help but smile back. Satisfied with her success, the wood sprite reassured her new friends of their inculpability. "Don't worry," she said gently. "I didn't tell you my name… mostly because I don't have one. But you can just call me Fairy or Fae."

Everyone noticed that her lack of name didn't seem to bother the childlike fairy at all.

Sakura nodded distractedly as her attention was divided between the conversation and the struggle in plain sight. "Right… Fae. When you said that they wouldn't attack us if we stuck with you, I didn't really believe you," the kunoichi confessed guiltily. Hinata dejectedly nodded in concurrence. The other two did nothing.

That admission didn't lessen Fae's smile at all. In fact, it only seemed to grow bigger. "Silly, you don't have to worry about that!" Fae reassured the slightly shamed duo. "Why did you come with me then?"

Sakura blinked. She apparently hadn't thought of that. "I'm not sure. I really like you for some reason."

The fairy giggled cutely. "Well, if I can be friends with Kyuuhai, I can be friends with anyone."

Sakura frowned slightly. "Who's Kyuuhai?"

"Oh, you might know him as Kyuubi… or Naruto come to think of it. I'm not really sure what he calls himself around you. Don't call him that though, he doesn't like it," Fae warned her four companions.

Shikamaru and Neji, the most level headed members of the group, momentarily took their eyes away from the battlefield to stare incredulously as the three girls carried on with their conversation. If Fae's words were to be trusted then they were perfectly safe… and the fact that they were all in plain sight and hadn't been attacked in any way certainly put much credit in the sprite's affirmation… but the boys couldn't understand how the two kunoichi were able to ignore their surroundings and reflexes to the point of having a conversation. Shikamaru and Neji were far too busy discarding and reconstructing their backup plans based on the position of enemy personnel to contribute to it. The periodic glances sent their way made the boys restless, even if no move was made to attack.

The girls ignored the shinobi's uneasiness and continued talking about their favorite subject. At this point, they were barely even aware of the battle. Oddly enough, it just wasn't as exciting when you knew the outcome and it was blatantly obvious to all spectators.

The Uchiha were losing. Badly. It was the logical conclusion when an army went up against a totally superior force. The Uchiha may have had an advantage in skill, but that was pretty much the only thing they had going for them. As things were, Shikamaru had given them a ninety-nine percent probability of defeat. The army of creatures had superior strength, defense, cohesion, diversity, leadership and skill in some particulars. The shinobi known as Hattori Hanzou was definitely the most skilled being on the field. The odds were heavily in Sanctuary's legion's favor since the beginning, but when the other golems came from the woods, the moat and the earth, victory became assured.

And when the life-sized statue of the nine-tailed fox detached itself from the tower and separated into four identical smaller stone foxes that each controlled a different element, Uchiha started dropping like flies. Less than a dozen were left standing. Those ninja were proving to be particularly difficult to put down as each was employing what Sakura recognized as the mangekyou sharingan.

"You knew Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

"Well… not really. I know Kyuuhai better than I know Naruto… but they're essentially the same person now, so I don't know how to answer your question. I do know that Naruto is much nicer than Kyuuhai ever was. He hasn't yelled at me once since I've started living here," Fae remarked jubilantly.

Shikamaru gave in and finally asked a pertinent question that had been bothering him. He had hoped that the girls would get around to asking it, but apparently they were too busy being troublesome. He would just have to trust in Neji to watch out for threats. "What is this place? And where did it come from?"

Fae straightened and evenly delivered what was obviously a prepared speech. "You are in the land of Sanctuary, the only city-state in Fire Country and the home of the Kyuubi no youko. The nine tailed fox is the source of this castle and everything you see here is as he made it."

"What do you mean by 'made'?" Shikamaru questioned in a disinterested tone. He lazily plucked a blade of grass from the ground and began twisting it in his hands as Fae explained how Kyuubi created the walls, moat, golems and buildings of Sanctuary. Logically, he knew that he was far too relaxed and that something abnormal was certainly the causing the lax in awareness, but he just couldn't seem to muster the energy to care. The fairy discoursing happily was the most obvious source, but he couldn't even begin to contemplate attacking her.

His detachment became extraordinarily apparent when he didn't even twitch as an Uchiha entered his field of vision and had his middle snatched between the jaws of a stone Kyuubi. Nothing the man did seemed to harm the beast as it continued to mangle his body. His screams died down and Shikamaru's interest quickly waned.

Neji tensed sharply and alerted everyone of the incoming danger. A moment later, a particularly youthful Uchiha clan member joined their gathering. Judging by his striking resemblance to the only Uchiha Shikamaru could remember meeting, this was the one called Itachi. Surprisingly, Sakura stayed silent and visibly neutral as the young man surveyed them with coal black eyes before addressing the long haired fairy.

"I'm guessing you're the reason they're so comfortable here…" Itachi stated.

The fairy smiled brightly. "Yep! It's a part of my existence… I've yet to meet a being that can resist me… fully anyway."

"What is it that you do?" The ex-Akatsuki member asked politely.

"When I'm in range of my tree, I can't be attacked in any way, shape or form, not even by accident! Actions that would lead to me or those I protect getting hurt can't happen. As far as I know, only Kyuuhai has ever managed to shrug off the effects. I wanted to protect someone but Kyuuhai ignored me and killed him anyway… That's when we first met!" She was disturbingly cheerful… but it seemed to fit her.

"Hmm…" Itachi nodded thoughtfully. He turned to face the central tower and shook his head regretfully. "This mission is a failure. Kyuubi has defeated our mistress. We are going to cut our losses and retreat. If we don't antagonize the lord, he may just let her leave here alive."

"What about him?"

Itachi turned to face his superior officer and watched him battle Hanzou. Aside from Itachi, he was the only Uchiha within the walls of Sanctuary that was still alive. The remaining golem formed a circle around the two battling shinobi. He was losing, but would not give up. "Madara has been blind for a long time… I do not believe he will leave here alive."

Fae lost her smile for the first time since Shikamaru met her. "That's sad…" The pity in her voice was obvious and her lowered spirits seemed to have an effect on him.

Shikamaru managed to fight off the influence of whatever was keeping them docile long enough to ask a single question. "Why are you telling us this?" His effort was for naught. He was ignored.

Itachi eyed his sibling's teammate for a few moments. "Say hello to my brother for me when you see him."

Sakura watched him carefully, in silence. The staring match was broken when the doors to the tower opened.

Fae sighed in relief and the five humans around her felt the lessening of pressure they hadn't known was there. "So he really did win… I was worried." Her emerald eyes widened as she took in his beautiful companion. "Is that her?" she asked.

Itachi nodded calmly. "That is our mistress, the matriarch of our clan. She is Lady Morrigan Aensland," he introduced reverently.

Shikamaru grit his teeth and shut his eyes. The situation had been surreal from the beginning, but that woman's unearthly beauty was having some very real effects on his body. He was hot… couldn't think. Thinking before acting was a fundamental aspect of his personality. Since he couldn't think, he couldn't act. He kept himself still, and waited.

* * *

_It smell__s like a bloodbath._

That had been his first impression of the world outside his tower. Events and voices rushed through his mind as he recalled events of the past.

_Remember, your life for Sasuke'__s._ That had been the deal. Her freedom for Sasuke's.

They had left the tower and he had immediately noticed the presence of death. If his doppelganger had been deactivated… he might have never noticed.

_You might as well come out. I know you're here._He had spoken with false confidence. He had known even then what would be coming next. He hadn't been ready then and he still wasn't now.

It looked exactly like his copy… around twelve feet in height, a great mane of hair, red horns, a grotesque face and purple coloring, all wrapped in a huge white robe. He held a knife in one hand and a necklace in the other. Danger incarnate.

_What have you done?_ It had asked him in its intangible voice, visibly terrified. He had reveled in its fear even as his own wariness rose to the second power. The Shinigami's corporal form could do much more than scare humans. He would have to thank Fae for keeping his friends out of the line of fire.

_Well, __you decided that it would be a good idea to rip my soul out of my body… I figured you wouldn't mind if I took some liberties. _He had flippantly replied. The blatant disrespect had torn at the ancient god and filled it with righteous fury. It had raised its knife bearing hand and advanced on him.

He had raised an empty hand and beaten it with words. _You come here, in my home and disrespect me? You want to fuck with me? Well, come. Show what you've got… that I haven't. _The Shinigami ceased its advance. Pale yellow eyes in black sclera shifted from one enemy to another… and no matter what differences he and Morrigan may have had, gods always took priority. The god disappeared without a word and Morrigan seemed to think that it had been pathetically easy to drive off what amounted to the strongest god in existence… but he knew better. That hadn't even been the first battle. No… that had been the end of diplomatic negotiations.

_I'll be b__ack you know…_

He had smiled then, because that statement had made him glad.

_Yeah, __I know._

Morrigan then gathered her two remaining spawn, a brute and a disciple, and left without another word. He had let her go in peace, knowing that she wouldn't be back for at least a few weeks. Since she couldn't have taken the bodies of the dead with her, the revitalization process would take much more time and energy.

With his enemies gone, his army of golems and his homunculus returned to their positions. When the coast was cleared, additional Konoha shinobi appeared from the darkness of the timberland. The identity of several was known to him, but he only had eyes for one.

_It was bound to happen someday._

The blonde, amber eyed Hokage stood as silently as everyone else. Fae's aura kept them calm… or tamed. They would not speak until he granted them permission.

He raised a bloody hand and pointed three fingers towards the sky.

_Three days. In three days I'll be the strongest __being to ever walk this world._

He had seen something during his fight with Morrigan and realized something else. Regardless of his issues concerning his species, the body he was given was human. A cornerstone of humanity was the ability to use tools. All humans used them, regardless of who they were. Morrigan had nearly defeated him because of her energy cannon. It was high time he made good use of his ten digits.

_The god of death will__ be back… but he won't be coming alone._

That was the utmost truth. The Shinigami was the strongest god of the pantheon. If the god could not defeat him by himself, then he would simply call upon his army. His fellow divinities, the divine creatures under his command, the heroes that fought and died in the name of religion and the souls of every virtuous human that has ever lived and died. The armies of the past… and since his enemies were in control of the workings of life and death, their military force was infinite. Even if he killed them all, they would only come back to fight again.

_A war is coming. One unlike anything this world has seen before. The forces of heaven will be coming for__ me. They deny my right to live and they will ask for your help or drag you in forcefully. However, let me warn you, shinobi have no place in heaven. You kill for yourselves, or for the sake of other humans. Unfortunately, the only 'correct' way to kill is in the name of a god. For your sins, you will be forced into the belly of the beast._

_That__ is what awaits you at the end of your road, ninja of Konohagakure. Damnation and oblivion in the belly of an intolerant and gluttonous god. Will you stand for it? I will not lie to you. If you fight for them, then you will probably be forgiven and allowed past the gates, but know that your friends and ancestors will not be waiting for you there. To fight for them is to deny your way of life. I only have one piece of advice._

_Fight for what you believe in! There will be three__ main factions. The gods, the demons… and me. Choose carefully._

On that note, he had turned away from their awe and terror and walked inside his tower. The doors had begun to close.

_In three days, come with your decision, whatever it may be. __Now, I've got to get stronger…and I know just how to do it._

The doors closed and took with them his final assignment. That was almost twenty-four hours before.

Since then, he'd come to understand a simple fact. Morrigan's energy cannon was the single most complex piece of equipment he'd ever come across. He wasn't able to use it, make another one or use its design in any way. Since keeping it materialized required a constant flow of youki, it was pretty much nothing more than a dead weight.

Luckily for him, the weapon was also so complex that it actually had its own dormant ego pattern. Since it had a personality, it necessarily had a physical form attached to it, an innate body, something the personality thought it would look like or wanted to look like. Since a living body produces it own energy, the transformation would allow him to at least cut off the drain.

The energy weapon already had a personality and part of Morrigan's soul. All he really had to do was provide the physical material and encouragement. The rest would happen naturally.

Given that he wanted to create something living, organic material was preferable to stone or other minerals. So he cut his arm off and regenerated… multiple times. He activated elemental transmutation and mentally encouraged the weapon to use his power. He remained there, silent and perfectly passive, for the next six hours as the process began and eventually ended. Even with his eyes closed, he could hear the heartbeat, the gentle breaths. Still, he waited for a sign.

There was a soft moan, movement, followed by a yawn.

"I'm… alive…?" an unbelievably cute voice whispered softly. He was probably biased, but even Fae didn't hold a candle against this being. Even though he hadn't even seen her yet, he felt an incredible amount of affection for her. He opened his eyes.

What first struck him was the resemblance to what amounted to her sister. The newly born existence was not only the same type of demon as the elder Aensland, but also had the same features, body type and clothing. There were differences, but nothing major.

Everything on Morrigan that was colored in black was colored red on her sister: the boots, the half leotard and both pairs of wings. The tights and pictures of bats were in different shades of light blue as were the sleeves. Physically, the succubus was younger than her sibling, shorter and a lot less developed, especially in the chest region. Her eyes were as red as his and her hair was a rich lavender and cut short.

The little girl quickly noticed his presence and opened her mouth to speak before blinking twice. She was clearly hesitating. Kyuubi smiled gently at the sight of her troubled visage.

"Go on, you don't have to be afraid," he reassured.

The girl nodded slightly and hesitantly voiced her question.

"Daddy?"

_Oh__ no. _

Kyuubi shut his eyes tightly and wondered at his incredible stupidity. This was not what he had planned!

_I just had to bring her into this world… using my flesh. __I can't even plausibly deny it. Maybe she won't make a big deal out of this?_

Kyuubi opened his eyes and decided to answer the worried girl and hope for the best.

"Technically… I did bring you into this world… and you probably share some of my blood…"

The girl's countenance brightened unimaginably and the next second he was buried under a wiggly prepubescent succubus. The girl hugged him tightly and seemed to have lost all traces of her previous reluctance. He wondered if that was a good thing. Unfortunately, he already knew that he couldn't do anything to hurt her. Kind of like with Sakura, but worse.

"Daddy! I'm tired…" the girl pointed out expectantly. Oddly, instead of angering him, the girl's demanding tone amused him greatly. He'd deal with his own issues later.

He chuckled good-naturedly. "Alright… but shouldn't we introduce ourselves first?" he asked. Of course, it was entirely possible that she didn't have a name.

The girl frowned cutely and questioned his remark. "Introduce? But we already know each other!"

He smirked and raised an eyebrow in incredulity. "Really? What's my name?"

"You're daddy." She said with absolute confidence. His smirk changed into a genuine smile.

"That's not my name. That's who I am in regards to you, but that's not my name. My name is Kyuubi. What's yours?"

"Kyuuubi?" The succubus repeated before nodding in comprehension. "Ok. I'm Lilith," he couldn't help but notice that she said her name in the cutest manner possible. He was impressed.

"Hello Lilith. You're tired?" Lilith nodded vigorously.

_I never would've guessed…_

Kyuubi closed his eyes and gently released a soft stream of youki that was immediately absorbed by his new daughter. The succubus in question relaxed against him and the two of them dozed off as Kyuubi gently fed Lilith. His other worries could wait for a little while longer.

* * *

For those who don't know, the Oedipus complex is a desire to possess the mother sexually and exclude the father. If you're having trouble understanding a few aspects, then don't worry because the next chapter will clarify a lot of them. Everyone, thanks a lot for the reviews.

* * *


	8. Choice

Holy crap I just realized that it's been 8 months since I updated. In my rush to release this, I neglected to proofread it, so don't be surprised if you find 4 mistakes per sentence.

* * *

Warmth. Safety in willful darkness. Close contact, skin to skin affirmation of their existence. While she knew there was an entire world outside these walls, during those precious days, hours, minutes, seconds, moments… she didn't care. The world did not matter. They were alone together and she was perfectly content. This was her womb, and he was her light. Everything she had was originally his… he owned her completely and she wouldn't have it any other way.

She could hear his heartbeat.

It soothed her and dictated the pace of her life. She obeyed without question. Her pulse matched his perfectly and created an odd resonance in her gifted power. Despite the unfamiliar feeling, the level of her interest was null. She snuggled in tighter and basked in his protection and wisdom. Lilith entered a deep slumber and dreamed dreams of blood, ambition and happiness. When she woke up, she would know her father better than anyone and love him all the more for it.

* * *

In the dim lighting of the tower flew wisps of obscure energy. The miasma born of an atmosphere saturated with youki was toxic to everyone but the two resting in its midst. Kyuubi opened his mind and soul to the world as he cradled his new daughter. Finally, he had gathered enough information. The puzzle was assembled.

The Yondaime Hokage was a genius. Somehow, that insignificant human managed to go entirely beyond mortals. In his final act, he had gifted his son with a Marble Phantasm. He had managed to counterbalance the substance in Naruto's soul-bound prison with reality. That meant his demon form wasn't actually trapped since matter inside Naruto's enhanced reality marble could actually exist outside of it. The only way he could have made such a discovery was if he had gotten first hand experience. The young kage had probably studied the sharingan at one time or another. He most likely tricked Kakashi into letting him study it. He must have found Morrigan's patterns and improved on them.

The Marble Phantasm is simply the ultimate form of the reality marble. That was the knowledge he gained from the information printed on Lilith's soul.

Intuition struck him and led him to use his newfound knowledge and search the Shinigami's patterns. A match was found immediately.

It appeared Morrigan and the Fourth stumbled on something they weren't supposed to.

The succubus had dubbed her newfound ability 'Marble Phantasm' but she only discovered something that already existed. Its official name was the Elysium Forge: a deity's ultimate ability. It can be used to modify reality in a specific area. When it is in use, any aspect of reality can be modified, from its rules to its contents. In effect, the Marble Phantasm is an extension of the reality marble. However, using the marble in reality necessitates a form of tribute known as MetaBioPhysical energy. Chakra… Youki…

From what he could understand, reality was almost sentient. It made sense really, considering the fact that public realities were created by a conglomeration of gods and goddesses. It operated on conditions of lease and ownership. Morrigan's soul eater, for example, was on lease. To keep it activated, she needed to pay a fixed amount of youki per second. Theoretically, if she had enough youki, she could obtain perpetuity and cease to pay tribute for its activation… but since that cannon violated quite a number of reality's laws… it was probably never going to happen. In addition, since that cannon was so complex, it took up the entirety of her Marble so she couldn't use it to do anything else. That was the price she paid for the ultimate weapon.

It made sense, really. A reality marble was reality, as in a world or universe. A Marble Phantasm is an expression of that reality inside of another. No wonder he couldn't understand it. Its own creator probably didn't understand it. To put it into perspective, understanding that cannon would be like being aware of the planet he stood on down to the atom…

Achieving an effect can be extremely costly. From his calculations, stopping causality for one square mile for everything except him would cost about a thousand of his tails… per second. To do so permanently was simply impossible. Temporarily, it was unfeasible but the cost could be lowered drastically by substituting one law for another. Being unable to affect other living beings or use energy during the time freeze can be used to lower the cost.

Using the marble, anyone could theoretically do anything, but practically it wasn't so simple. The user's personality highly marked its use. Specifically, lack of imagination or inspiration could be highly encumbering. In the end, it was an ability that could be used to create matter and specialized formulas. It was cheating. It felt cheap… kind of like Naruto used to feel about the sharingan. He didn't like it, but he didn't have much of a choice.

Unfortunately, every single god had access to that ability and since the day before, their organization actively stood against him. So to satisfy his desires and still keep the upper hand, he would have to cheat without cheating… and he knew just how to do it.

In his natural form, he was stronger than them. All he had to do was get even stronger. He would make like the humans… or something close to them. He would forge a tool.

Kyuubi began his 'chant', whispering so as to not wake his daughter. He had understanding. The words came easily.

First, he would establish the foundation and most important element. The laws.

"_There are seven magic numbers: __**two**__, __**eight**__, __**twenty**__, __**twenty-eight**__, __**fifty**__, __**eighty-two**__ and __**one hundred and twenty-six**__. _

"_I rid myself of the extremes and gain stability. I have built one thousand, four hundred and forty beads… four circles, three hundred and sixty times four. One hundred and eighty times __**eight**__._

"_**Twenty**__, __**twenty-eight**__, __**fifty**__ and __**eighty-two**__ combine into one hundred and eighty._

"_Four magic numbers multiplied by one of the same group. _

"_One thousand, four hundred and forty beads threaded in a necklace. Jewelry wrapped around my original, hidden neck. Each circle serves as foundation. The north brings forth __**permanence**__, the west supports __**quintessence**__, the south generates __**positioning**__ and the east fathers __**loyal seedlings**__. In the end, all serve one purpose: circumventing limits. What is mine is mine. Always._

"_**Marble phantasm: Cardinal cycle, warped boundaries. Concept weapon bound by the magic number."**_

The intoxicating feeling of his insides burning slowly was the sensation he perceived just before he fell unconscious. The lights dimmed and then disappeared. The world ended, but would begin anew. The new family slept together in complete harmony, isolated from the outside world.

When Kyuubi will set foot outside his tower, he will understand something crucial. The age of shinobi was over. Gods and demons walked the earth once more. The age of 'myths' had returned.

* * *

A peaceful forest clearing, filled with green grass, sunlight and playful butterflies. The sweet scent of cherry blossoms filled his nostrils as he rested under the sky. A ghost of a smile haunted his lips. He was dreaming a peculiar dream… peculiar in the sense that it wasn't actually a dream. He had fallen asleep and had found himself here… with her. Of course, how Lilith managed to find her way to his reality marble without being drawn in was a mystery, but he knew better than to ask her about it. She probably didn't know how she had done it and any inquiries would go right over her pretty little head. He didn't really mind though. He enjoyed the company.

Kyuubi looked up to the clear blue skies just in time to see a new bead materialize above him with a musical tinkle. Out of the numerous beads scattered across the sky, one third of the necklace was solid while the remaining nine hundred and sixty remained transparent.

_It takes fifteen seconds to make one and another fifteen to charge it. That makes twelve hours to make a full set and six hours to recharge. It's workable__… especially since I can't see myself ever using them all… Who knew Marble Phantasms could be so useful? This solves my little power problem quite nicely, with a little interest. _

Kyuubi suddenly blinked as something occurred to him.

_Wait… is this even a Marble Phantasm? The marble was used in the necklace's creation… but its standalone now. I __should be able to use it and my marble at the same time. I guess it's more of a concept weapon now. Cardinal cycle must have been too simple… incredibly useful, but simple nonetheless. I'll have to work on a new marble scheme even if I don't plan to use it. I'm all for fair play, but if they threaten Konoha I won't have time for games._

The demon lord closed his eyes and tried to forcefully relax. He failed spectacularly.

_I can't help but wonder… what'__s going to happen now? This is no joke. The entire pantheon against little old me… I'd look forward to it if it wasn't for the inevitable collateral damage. I'll need to make sure they have the means to defend themselves. _He smirked jubilantly as possible plans burst to the forefront of his mind. _Luckily, that task just got much simpler._

Kyuubi, with his eyes still closed, called out to his new daughter and waited for her arrival. He didn't have to wait long as Lilith immediately ceased her enthusiastic play to fly towards him. As soon as he heard her settle next to him, he started his plan's preliminary stage: familiarizing himself with the ones closest to him. He had a feeling that the young demon would become as close as he allowed her to get.

"Hey, Lilith, what are you going to do now that you're alive?" he asked.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" she asked. Judging by the rampant befuddlement in her tone, she didn't seem to understand his meaning.

"I mean stuff like where you plan to live, your likes, dislikes… dreams for the… future…" Kyuubi had more to say, but he trailed off once he realized that he sounded like Kakashi. That was a bad sign.

"Huh?" Unfortunately, the confusion hadn't left her voice. Instead, it seemed to have increased.

"…Let's do this step-by-step. Where do you plan to live?"

"With you," she answered with no hesitation.

Kyuubi nodded in satisfaction. He would definitely get an honest answer as long as the question was kept simple. As for her answer, he'd never actually considered any other decision. Her choice was obvious. "Okay, what do you like?"

"You," she responded immediately.

The demon lord waited patiently for a few moments, but eventually had to conclude that she wasn't going to add anything to that statement. Of course, he couldn't possibly be the only thing she liked but he didn't want to press her.

"…What do you dislike?" he asked.

"What do you hate daddy?" she replied, seemingly out of nowhere.

At first, he thought that she asked that question to avoid answering his previous inquiry but then he realized that for some reason, he was kind of scared to answer her. Intuition told him that answering her would not be a good move. "Let's skip that question. What are your dreams for the future?"

"To stay with you forever," she answered dreamily.

…_Well, I should probably stop here. Her answers would be kind of creepy if she wasn't so young but I guess it's normal for children to latch on to their parents._

Mostly satisfied with the results of his interrogation as he was, Kyuubi decided to test her conviction in those answers. "Are you sure you want to stay with me?" he wondered. "I have many enemies and they'll probably try to hurt you to get to me. You might lose the very life you worked so hard to get," he pointed out.

His daughter whispered a few words harshly, the meaning rendered unintelligible by the accompanying fury. He opened his eyes to see that his blue sky was now entirely covered by turbulent red clouds that tinged the world in a malevolent red. He raised an eyebrow and turned a questioning eye to the only other being in his marble. Lilith knelt at his side and glared at the grassy soil, both sets of wings twitching slightly.

_I knew anger was a possible reaction, but this is a little much…_ He observed the red clouds for a few moments. _Those clouds aren't filled with water… that's for sure. _The furious little girl was still entangled in undoubtedly gory daydreams. Kyuubi grinned as amusement took hold of him. _Interesting, you want to make it rain blood, daughter? Well, follow me and you'll get your chance._

"What was that?" In a way, the question was redundant. He may not have understood the words, but the meaning was loud and clear.

Lilith smoothly left her bloody reveries and locked eyes with him. He was surprised to see the red orbs glowing in a wholly familiar way.

"I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt you," she said with utmost conviction.

In the face of such total sincerity, Kyuubi couldn't help but laugh. "You shouldn't make such bold claims if you can't back them up, you know."

The girl jerked back, an adorably hurt expression on her face before she gathered her nerve. "I'm serious." she enounced.

Kyuubi nodded in agreement. "I can tell. It's just that my enemies aren't pushovers. They won't just fall over and die,"

"I don't care, I'm strong!" she affirmed willfully.

_Are you really? Good to see that ambition though… wallflowers are pretty but they don't last long when the going gets tough._

"Hmm… we'll see about that later. Anyway, if you can gauge strength, how powerful do you think I am?" he asked.

Immediately, her severe presence melted into admiration. "You're the strongest!" she said brightly.

"Exactly, so you don't need to worry about me. The best thing you can do is to keep yourself and the allies behind me safe so I can concentrate on the enemies in front of me. Can you do that?"

The little succubus drooped a little before sadly nodding in acquiescence. She looked on the verge of tears.

He smiled gently and reached over to caress her cheeks. She leaned into his touch and sighed contentedly. She was just too adorable. "Good girl. You're my daughter, so you'll be in charge of Sanctuary when I'm not there. You have to be able to keep your priorities straight."

She looked at him curiously. "Does that mean I'm a princess?" she asked.

Kyuubi blinked. He hadn't thought about that… Titles meant nothing to him since he didn't much care about other people's opinions. "Probably," he shrugged. It was long past time to change the subject.

"Now, would you like to spar?"

Visibly cheered by his continued attention, Lilith eagerly nodded. Soon, the thick clouds disappeared and allowed sunlight to once again touch the grateful plants and animals. At the end of the day, the demon lord made a mental note to investigate his daughter's unusual influence on his reality marble.

It was almost worrisome.

* * *

The outside face of Kyuubi's self-titled tower was remarkably dissimilar from its interior. While the inside was designed to draw attention solely on the nation's ruler and the exterior was created to do the same, the difference lied in the demon's chosen form.

When seated on his throne, Kyuubi was dressed and groomed to showcase his majesty. The same could not be said about his original form. Even he could admit that it was not suited to attract lesser beings.

The tower's base design was exceedingly simple. It looked like any other cylindrical tower constructed from assembled stones, if you ignored a few unimportant details. Indeed, aside from the fact that the structure was perfectly cylindrical, that the stones were all equally smooth, that there were no windows and that the top was spherical, the tower could've been constructed by human hands.

Naturally, all that conformity was completely offset by Sanctuary's primary homunculus. Kyuubi's gray double used its paws to hold itself up as it laid its head onto the round roof. One of its tails went straight into the ground so that it could easily draw water for the moat, but the others were wrapped tightly around its post. The building's only opening was situated in a gap right between one tail and the next.

The two ornate doors were crafted from the same heavily altered white marble that made up the audience chamber. In truth, they were so heavy that the Fifth Hokage would have to strain in order to open them under normal conditions.

Of course, that was only if she was actually inside. The entrances didn't include handles of any kind and had to be pulled open from the outside. Because of the multitude of precautions he had taken in creating them, only Kyuubi could give someone admittance.

Of course, mere facts weren't going to stop determined hearts from trying.

The thumping sound of hurried steps against grassy soil could barely be heard above the artificial waterfall before ceasing abruptly. A frenzied kiai burst from overworked lungs and reverberated throughout the clearing. The loud, hollow sound of an impact, a fist meeting an unyielding door.

A green glow seeping into a damaged fist, mending bruised flesh and fractured bone.

A hopeful glance. A sharp curse. Not a scratch, not a dent. No damage done at all.

"That's impressive workmanship," remarked Jiraiya as he approached the undamaged entrance with a careful eye. "For a simple door to stand up to Tsunade's strength… even after she took a flying leap. That's incredible! What is it made of?"

"Marble."

Neither of the two loyal sannin bothered to look at their teacher's old rival, partly because his current form reminded them of their youth and things better left forgotten, but also because it wasn't worth the effort. If Hanzou didn't want to tell them, they weren't exactly going to stare him into submission.

The toad sage regretfully let it go and resolved to question Kyuubi when he got the chance as he kneeled in front of the flawless crystalline rock and gently trailed his fingers over its smooth surface. The seal master made a few silent observations before turning towards Tsunade and shaking his head.

The Godaime Hokage closed her eyes and sighed wearily. This entire debacle was a very humbling experience. The strength they had trained their entire lives for couldn't even help them open a door. It was another reminder of just how out of their leagues they were.

The blonde kunoichi climbed to her feet and walked towards the wooden bridge, leaving her fellow sannin as he began to use various diagnostic jutsu in an attempt to discover an exploitable weakness. A doomed effort if there ever was one, but it was still better than sitting around doing nothing.

Tsunade shot an unfriendly look at her fellow kage. Really, Gaara was being spectacularly useless. He could at least try to do something, if only for appearance's sake. They were wasting valuable time here.

The world was in turmoil. Some traitor had leaked information. The news of Kyuubi's release was bad enough, but the otherworldly attention he brought with him was even more frightening. Gods and demons were not to be trifled with, by anyone. The people were growing anxious and the shinobi suspicious. The world's leaders had requested information that she didn't have. If she wasn't careful, she would have another war on her hands.

So there they were, some of the world's greatest talent in shinobi warfare, on the third day after Kyuubi's ultimatum, on the edge of history's greatest crossroads and they were stuck waiting for the demon lord to come out of bed. It was humiliating.

"Don't be angry, Hokage. The wait is almost over," a cute voice cheerfully noted.

The Godaime scoffed and rolled her eyes. "That's what you said five minutes ago, insect."

While Fae's smile didn't fall off her face, it gained a certain… strained quality to it that it lacked previously. Sitting a few feet away from her, both Hanzou and Gaara momentarily had to resist the urge to shudder violently.

"Well… to tell you the truth, I'm getting a little worried. Kyuuhai is taking too long," the wood sprite revealed.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms under her bosom. "What are you talking about? It hasn't been three full days yet."

The fairy nodded in acquiescence and continued. "That's what I'm talking about. Kyuuhai usually misjudges time estimates. There's no way he'd need three days to work through information he already has. Something must have happened."

The kunoichi stilled as a thought occurred to her. "You know what he's doing in there," she said.

"I do," the sprite confirmed unhesitatingly.

"Tell me."

Fae suddenly smiled brilliantly before flapping her wings strongly until she hovered at eye level with Konoha's leader. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" she asked, before flying off.

Tsunade's subsequent scowl wasn't nearly expressive enough to convey the level of her irritation, but it would have to do. "If I could do that-"

She cut off the rest of her response when she saw that Hanzou had moved from his meditative position and was following the airborne wood sprite as she drifted closer to the bridge. From what she could tell, Kyuubi's vassal hadn't moved from his lotus position in three days. His determined stride could only mean one thing.

The woman directly and indirectly responsible for the lives of innumerable human beings allowed herself to relax. Slightly.

Jiraiya let out an embarrassing yelp as he was forced to choose between making an ungainly leap backwards and testing his cranium against seemingly indestructible stone. Though his current position wasn't in any way suited to making sharp movements, the hermit still managed to clear the length of the stone walkway and reach the bridge unharmed.

Unfortunately, there was a reason why agility wasn't ever mentioned when speaking of his substantial legend. His inability to twist into a workable landing position in time resulted in a number of bruises, scrapes and painful contortions. Flexibility wasn't exactly his strong point either.

His teammate looked down at his crumpled form and shook her head. "Idiot," she stated. He could only groan in response.

The newly opened gateway was thick with shadows, the kind of unnatural darkness that could never appear under the sky. Tsunade could feel the gaze of the void as it stared into her and couldn't help but shiver. She rubber her arms to soothe the goose bumps formed from the sudden chill and resisted the urge to flee.

A sense of foreboding. She was in the presence of a threat.

The obscurity of the audience chamber was anything but reassuring and the conspicuous omission of visible mass sent warning signals into overdrive… among those who possessed those signals anyway.

"Kyuuhaai!" a high-pitched voice yelled stridently from above. "Come out already! It's boring here without you."

Due to her unique set of skills, Fae didn't really possess the ability to feel menaced and was thus entirely unrestrained in her actions. Her judgment could be likened to that of a frail human child walking up to a starving lion in order to pet it. Normally, the presence of such an obvious noncombatant in a hazardous situation would've increased the anxiety of allied fighters, but surprisingly, the fairy's careless complaint seemed to alleviate the palpable feeling of peril.

The increase in security was directly accompanied by the weakening of the dark. Where there was previously a prominent absence she could now see a faint humanoid outline.

Almost as though the silhouette could feel the loss of its concealment, it began to move right as she became aware of it. It didn't take very long for it to feel the touch of the early morning sun.

Unhurriedly walking towards them was a little girl or more appropriately, a young woman. Approximately fourteen years of age, she seemed to be about as tall as Yuuhi Kurenai and Mitarashi Anko, which made her about five feet and six inches tall. Slender, shapely and attractive, she went beyond the realm of cute and landed firmly into pretty, perhaps even beautiful. She was well on her way to becoming quite a knockout.

The girl had fine, short hair of an unusual deep lilac color, pale skin and familiar red eyes. She wore an azure silk kimono of incredible quality. It was tailor-made, formfitting and featured a pattern of a crowd of purple bats taking flight. The overall effect achieved was that of a delicate maiden and yet… Tsunade got the feeling that it only concealed considerable strength. Oddly, considering the elaborate robe she was clothed in, the child walked barefoot.

Fae plummeted abruptly until she hovered directly in front of the adolescent, thereby forcing to stop her advance.

"You're related to him, aren't you?" she asked. There was no doubt in anyone's mind as to who she was talking about. The Godaime worriedly noted that the overgrown butterfly sounded genuinely surprised. That couldn't possibly be a good thing, bearing in mind that she lived here and claimed to have known Kyuubi longer than anyone.

The girl smiled politely, clasped her hands in her lap and bowed formally before straightening. Tsunade tensed slightly as crimson eyes focused on her. "I bid you welcome, leaders of the new world, to Sanctuary. I am princess Lilith of the renewed Uzumaki clan and I have been sent to entertain you while my father tends to matters of defense. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability."

Charming. If there was a single word to describe Lilith's introduction, that would be it. Everything, from her mannerisms to her tone of voice was inexplicably captivating. The ninja found that they had to concentrate in order to allocate a portion of their attention to their surroundings.

Gaara stepped closer to their… host in order to address her face to face. "You are Kyuubi's daughter? What is he doing?" he asked with atypical impatience.

Tsunade didn't fail to realize that these were the first words the Kazekage uttered since they journeyed to Sanctuary. She would have to keep an eye on him, since his newfound willingness to speak occurred a little too conveniently.

The princess gracefully nodded to the redhead and promptly answered his question. "Yes, the lord and king of this nation, Sovereign Uzumaki Kyuuhai of nine wondrous tails is my parent. It seems that my… unexpected arrival has forced Father to postpone his observation of reality's fabric and the installation of certain precautions in case of invasion. He is taking care of that now and will be with you shortly. As you undoubtedly know, we are at war and such matters must take precedence. I offer you our most formal apology for the inconvenience," she stated, before bowing deeply.

Jiraiya was the next to speak his mind but, contrary to her expectations, he seemed to be even less trusting of Kyuubi's daughter than she was. His face was locked into the hard frown that crept up whenever he took something seriously. "What is this about, anyway? How can you possibly be at war? What did you do to provoke this?" he asked coldly.

"Father has grown immensely powerful," Lilith claimed proudly.

The toad sannin raised a white eyebrow in skepticism. "That's it? You mean to tell me that it has nothing to do with the lives he has taken?" he questioned.

Red eyes narrowed minutely as her pleasant smile disappeared. "Excuse me if it seems callous, but you're mistaken if you think that my father's past deeds factored into that decision in any significant way. In the eyes of the pantheon, human lives mean very little when it comes to war."

The three visiting ninja tensed simultaneously as Lilith's words reminded them of her demonic nature. Unlike Kyuubi, this demon wasn't stuck in a form they recognized and trusted. It wasn't quite as easy for them to ignore her ancestry and they weren't even sure they wanted to do so.

The newest addition to the Uzumaki clan coolly continued her response without paying heed to their increased apprehension. "The real reason is that sixteen years ago, my father gained… I guess you could call it the blueprint of Shinigami-sama's soul."

Tsunade caught sight of her teammate's renewed efforts to relax and was reminded of their situation. Demon or not, they were on a diplomatic mission and it seemed as though the daughter wasn't as laid back as the father. Formalities meant nothing to Kyuubi, but that wasn't necessarily the same for other demons. When he was suitably calmed, Jiraiya asked for clarification with impeccable civility.

Lilith's countenance was struck by slight surprise and embarrassment before she masked it by giggling disarmingly. "I apologize; I forgot that you all aren't well versed in my father's abilities. The truth is that with such information, it became possible for him to duplicate the god of death's body and unique abilities. Three days ago, Shinigami-sama became aware of this fact, which led to his insecurities getting the better of him. It is only when their stations are threatened that deities would ever think of acting so rashly."

Though she had no plans to actually implement it, the Hokage felt a slight chill as she realized that her country's final defense was useless. The Fourth's last technique would no longer protect them from its original target. The cool fog crystallized into thick ice as she imagined the consequences of Shinigami-sama's end. What happened when a god… died?

She didn't want to find out.

"Don't you worry, Hokage," the demon advised, oddly articulating every syllable of the title.

Tsunade looked up to see a pair of mischievous glowing eyes floating above a wide smile. The stretched lips contorted further in order to pronounce conundrums. "Daddy has no intention of eliminating such an important deity," she claimed assuredly. "He's just out to teach him a little humility, that's all."

The little lady's suddenly familiar mode of address when speaking of her father did nothing to convince the Godaime of her sincerity. The situation was going far beyond what Konoha as a whole was able to handle and she didn't know which options were available to her. She was rapidly becoming desperate for answers.

"You're misinterpreting what I told you, Lilith."

Four pairs of eyes snapped to the figure leading the group that was approaching the bridge they stood on. Three pairs of eyes narrowed as they realized that they hadn't noticed Fae and Hanzou's absence. It seemed that the princess was even more distracting than they had imagined.

"I'm not out to teach anyone anything," Kyuubi continued. The Godaime noted that he seemed alert, on edge. Not tense… but not relaxed either. "Any lessons learned will be side-effects at best."

* * *

Kyuubi ran a soft hand through bright hair, frowning as he thought about his most recent discoveries, or rather, their disturbing absence. No matter how much he concentrated or how much effort he poured into it, he was unable to detect anything amiss in reality, which could mean one of two things.

Either the changes had been concealed perfectly or they simply hadn't been made. He was leaning towards the latter himself. The question was what were they waiting for? From what he detected, neither of his current enemies even attempted to complete the preliminary stages for invasion. The gates were still closed. It made him uneasy and slightly irritable.

Still, there was nothing he could do about it right there and then. Better to focus on current events.

Kyuubi stared blankly at his guests for three full seconds before cracking. If they thought he was just going to wait patiently, they had another thing coming. It just wasn't in his nature and they should've known better than to test his patience. He would show them the depth of their folly. Oh yes, he would.

The demon lord beckoned his daughter over and she immediately set off to join him. He grinned slightly as the novelty of her unquestioning obedience still hadn't worn off. She was the first being to follow him of her own volition. "Lilith, why don't you go play with Fae while I take care of a few things? I'll meet you two for lunch at noon."

Though his request was perfectly acceptable and reasonable, his progeny still found cause to stop abruptly. And cross her arms, pouting.

The incarnated kitsune slumped slightly as he was reminded of his new 'duties'. Rolling his eyes and sounding very much put upon, Sanctuary's leader spouted the excesses that were requested of him. "Daughter, I need you to verify the perimeter defenses to insure their integrity," he rephrased. "Take Fae as backup and call upon the golems as needed. Please refrain from orchestrating major changes to the setup without my direct approval. Do you understand?"

Lilith nodded resolutely, eyes glowing in indication of her fervor. "Yes Father. I will not disappoint you," she promised.

"See to it that you do not," Kyuubi ordered half-heartedly. "You may leave."

The princess nodded once more before running off, grasping Fae's small arm along the way and dragging her away effortlessly. Exasperated eyes watched as she weaved around obstacles, carrying a gleefully screaming bundle and putting out enough speed to impress even him. It didn't take very long at all for her to leave their line of sight, though they could still faintly hear the fairy's exited yell.

"My Lord?" Hanzou asked prematurely.

"Keep an eye on her. Show her respect, but don't wait on her hand and foot… wouldn't want to spoil her. Just use your judgment," the master advised.

"As you wish," the vassal declared.

"And Hanzou?" the demon said earnestly, interrupting the shinobi as he turned to leave. "Her safety isn't optional, you got me?"

The man walked to his leader's front and kneeled before him. "I see. Your daughter shall not be harmed."

Kyuubi snorted and waived a hand dismissively. "That's not what I meant. The little princess can handle herself better than you can in a straight fight, but she lacks experience and wisdom. Watch carefully and interfere when needed, otherwise, stay out of her way."

The ninja nodded solemnly before disappearing in pursuit of his charge.

"This is where you sleep?"

Vivid blue eyes reflexively moved to the source of the communication. It seemed that Jiraiya had gotten either bored or curious and had moved to examine the interior of the newly accessible tower.

"There's nothing in here," he continued incredulously. "Do you sleep in that chair or something?"

"Nah, that's just an audience room," Kyuubi answered. "I don't usually sleep in there. Mostly, I sleep with Fae."

It took the combined weight of three suspicious stares for him to realize that something was wrong with that sentence. He didn't know what, but the longer he waited, the more suspicious they would become.

He shook his head in disaffirmation before trying again. "Wait, that didn't come out right. What I meant was that I usually sleep on Fae."

No luck. The suspicion dissipated, but it was rapidly replaced with disgust and anger. Well, in Tsunade anyway. Jiraiya was only mildly disgusted, the rest of his feelings on the matter were made up of great interest. Whatever it was, he probably wouldn't engage in it himself, but wouldn't decline watching it occur if given the chance.

Gaara was uselessly stoic, as usual. The brief interest he showed previously dissipated upon the confirmation of his hunches.

So whatever outraged them so much that even the Kazekage took note was something that the hermit would write about. Naturally, it was also something that would incite the Hokage into attack. Obviously, they were thinking of something perverted. He should proceed with care.

Unfortunately, he came to this conclusion after trying one last rectification.

"In Fae?" he tentatively corrected.

It was a fraction of a second later that he was forced to dodge a rapidly incoming fist as Tsunade dashed into his personal space but it only when a strong kick threatened to break him in half that he decided that an aerial position would be more advantageous. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he floated a few meters above ground. Those attacks were faster they it should have been. Way, WAY faster. Though he had no problems dodging, for some reason that speed was making him nervous.

As she was unable to locate a rock big enough to knock him back down, she decided to strike at his self-image in lieu of beating him senseless. "You sick bastard!" she screamed out of indignation. "What the hell is wrong with you? She's a little girl!"

Kyuubi had no idea what she was talking about. She had just lost him completely so he was forced to contest the only point he could clearly identify as false. "You do realize she's older than all of you put together, right?" He was pretty sure she didn't. "She's a tree spirit, one that never has and probably never will see combat. Fae is older than human history!" He was only moderately sure of that, but a few thousands years wouldn't make much of a difference in his argument. "Don't let that cuteness of hers fool you. She might not be able to fight, but that doesn't make her a wallflower." Of course it didn't. Fae was a tree and therefore far superior to any single flower.

Tsunade didn't appear to be entirely placated. It wasn't really surprising. He couldn't argue effectively if he had no idea what they were arguing about. What the hell did his sleeping habits have to do with anything? "But… how could you sleep with her?" she demanded.

That was a question he could answer, even though it was stupid. Still, it was the only thing he could actually respond to. He'd thought that she was angry because she thought she'd been exposed to something perverted, but now he wasn't so sure. Was she angry because he was sleeping outside? Or was it because she thought he'd forced Fae to face the rigors of nature? He had no idea, so he just shrugged and stared her down. "Her branches are comfortable, she smells nice and I like her apples," he said defensively.

The Godaime was clearly befuddled by his answer. "…what?" she asked.

"Huh?" He still didn't know what she was talking about, so he had no idea what she wanted to know. Speaking randomly had already proven unwise.

Awkward silence spread among the clearing as communications seemed stuck in rut. Eventually, Kyuubi returned to solid ground and looked at each of them in turn. No one seemed to possess the answer to the question called what the hell was going on?

"You know what? Let's just… move on."

* * *

Deep inside the dense woodland of Fire Country and just outside Konohagakure's wartime patrol routes, a demon lord roamed aimlessly, companioned by the strongest of mortals and the alertness of terrified beasts.

The gathered ninja had never seen anything quite like it. Even as they followed the blond through the vibrant undergrowth and around broad tree trunks, they couldn't help but be distracted by the unnatural silence of the forest. The whistling of shifting leaves was unaccompanied by the cries of avian creatures and the stealthy movement of both predator and prey.

The near total silence was reminiscent of old battlefields and it put them all on edge. However, a major difference between a field of battle and their current situation is that, on a battleground, the silence is a consequence of the absence of animated life.

They realized that the same could not be said of this stillness when they caught sight of a motionless antelope. It was crouched over the grass, trembling slightly and keeping its sleek head as low as possible. The beast was undoubtedly frightened and yet… it was as if it knew flight would not aid it here and that its only hope was in repelling attention. As if its predator would hunt everything that moved.

"Annoying, isn't it?" Kyuubi remarked as he stared the creature down. His companions would have sworn that it stopped breathing for the duration of his examination. "I don't know when it first started happening, but they always do this when I stop concealing my presence. This silence is unbearable."

With a dismissive snort, he left the temporary diversion behind and took up his previous train of thought. He was worried.

Tsunade's quick and volatile response to his sleeping habits did not inspire confidence in her decision making skills. If he were to lay down his proposition lightly, as he had previously planned, she just might do something stupid. Like refuse.

Needless to say, regardless of anything he may have insinuated, refusal was in no way possible. There will be no such thing as a neutral party in this conflict. Even if the deities initially left the humans alone, the demons certainly wouldn't and the self-righteous bastards would use that as an excuse to meddle.

So he had to convince them to accept their participation while maintaining the illusion of choice. He couldn't let them think he was forcing them or they might come to resent him… more than they currently did. They probably still remembered the little scrap that resulted in his imprisonment. That will make things difficult…

Ah, who was he kidding? His offer was just too awesome for words. If anything, he'll have more trouble convincing them that it wasn't too good to be true.

With his internal debate concluded, Kyuubi no longer had the patience required to reach his original objective of finding a suitable clearing before making his offer. After all, they were already outside both of their patrol routes and he wasn't dealing with weak civilians. Comfort was in no way a priority, so what was the use of delaying things any further?

The demon lord spent a few seconds trying to answer that very question and gradually slowed to a stop as he couldn't find an acceptable answer.

"This will do," he claimed, after taking a short look around.

The section of the forest he had chosen was similar to many other portions of Fire Country's timberland. It was covered with all sorts of plant life and surrounded by large, protective trees. It lacked any real distinguishing landmarks and they probably wouldn't be able to find this spot again once they left. Even if they did manage to stumble across it, they had no way of distinguishing it from the rest of the environment.

The demon lord was in the process of turning to face his companions when he caught sight of a badly hidden tiger. It was massive, a member of the breed indigenous of Konoha's 44th battle training zone, also known as the forest of death. Considering that the beast was ten feet tall and thirty feet long, the bushes it was attempting to hide behind failed to do so in any way.

Of course, considering that it was orange, it probably shouldn't have tried hiding in the first place.

Kyuubi scowled at its crouched form, suddenly annoyed by it. The fur's vibrant coloring reminded him of his warden… except that Naruto had never been so pathetic. Driven by impulse, he stalked closer to the beast and searched through the foliage until he found its backside.

Then, with a firm grip on the dispirited predator's tail, he dragged it out of its 'hiding' spot and well into the open, where he proceeded to sit on top of its back with his legs crossed in the tailor style.

"Well, now that I'm good and comfy, we might as well get this over with," he suggested.

For a moment no one moved, until Jiraiya squared his shoulders and stepped closer to the downed animal. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" the old man asked as he crouched in front of the furry seat and slowly moved his hand closer to its head.

The leader of the Uzumaki clan snorted disdainfully. "If the stupid thing's not going to defend itself, then I might as well use it as I see fit."

When the toad sannin's hand reached its target without being savagely mauled, he decided to throw caution to the wind and quickly drew open its eyelid. It only took a glance of its amber eye for him to realize that it was fully conscious.

He was ten feet away in the next moment. "I think I'll be able to follow the discussion just fine from here," he declared.

Kyuubi shrugged dismissively. He knew who would win a fight between a sannin and a tiger, and it sure as hell wouldn't be the tiger. If the hermit preferred to keep his distance from massive beasts, that was his business. "Suit yourself."

"Sovereign Uzumaki Kyuuhai, was it?"

The ruler turned to face the Hokage's cool gaze and shrugged again. "Lilith felt like being a princess and royal families usually have full names. I tried to tell her that it wasn't necessary but she didn't agree with me."

Tsunade looked decidedly unimpressed with him before she closed her eyes. After a few moments of observation, he realized that he was clearly seeing the emotion melting off her face. Once her poker face was fully in place, her eyelids edged open and Kyuubi felt himself straighten in response. He wasn't speaking to 'granny' Tsunade anymore; now he was facing Fire Country's fifth Kage. Physically, she was no threat… but emotionally, she held the key to his newly gained humanity. If she chose to fight against him, he would have to become a demon again.

The power he'd developed during those three days could allow him to return to the way he'd been before. The problem was that he simply didn't want to. That lifestyle had been so dreadfully boring… he couldn't imagine what he'd found so appealing about it, back then.

Naruto's friends… he cared about them, he truly did, but he'd always been selfish. If they stood against him he would fight and if they sought to kill him, then he just might return the favor. That was something about Kyuuhai not even Naruto managed to change. Enemies were enemies, no matter who they were.

"Sovereign of Sanctuary. May I ask just what you've dragged my people into?" The Godaime Hokage asked unwaveringly.

Kyuubi met her gaze with his own and held it for a long moment. "I'm making you nervous," he stated.

The Hokage's poker face cracked immediately as she glared at him to convey her outrage. "I most certainly-"

The demon lord interrupted her meaningless denials without fear of offending her. It didn't matter anymore. "You're treating me like an enemy, even though I'm not. You're overcompensating because I look too much like Naruto. You think that you won't be able to make objective decisions. You even doubt your initial decision to form an alliance with me," he said somberly.

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock. "How do you-"

"I may not be Naruto," he interrupted again. "But I do have part of him in me. If I feel like it, I can predict the moves you will make before you make them, with 75 percent accuracy." The blond shook his head. "You're not thinking straight, Godaime. I was standing on my original body, so how could you have forgotten who I was?"

Kyuubi closed his eyes and sighed. "You're not going to stand with me."

Humans occasionally say that battle plans never survive first contact with the enemy and they were right. He'd made a mistake. He'd never even contemplated categorizing Tsunade as an enemy and now he'd wasted too much time. It was already too late to convince her. She'd made up her mind, their alliance was broken.

"Kyuubi," Tsunade asked softly. "About the Shinigami and the dead Uchiha-"

He shook his head slowly, interrupting her for the third time. "It doesn't concern you anymore. So believe me when I say that the less you know the better you're off."

Stillness enveloped them as the conversation died with the wind. The closest thing to absolute silence they'd ever heard kept them apart as they realized that there really was nothing else to say. Sanctuary's lord wouldn't reveal his information and Konoha's Kage wouldn't cooperate. The meeting was over before it even happened.

After a long while, a soft whisper reached Kyuubi's ears. "That tiger, what would you have done if it had attacked you?"

He hesitated a moment before answering. If she was asking what he thought she was asking… "I would've played with it until it was too tired to go on and then I would've let it go. Beyond that, if it still persisted in trying to take my life, I would've returned the favor." He didn't think any of them missed his meaning.

"Ah, then it's a good thing we stopped attacking you, before."

He allowed himself to smile as he opened his eyes. "Yeah, it probably is. You would've gotten more chances than anyone else, but my patience has limits. You've made your choice Hokage, but at least listen to what I have to say. Try to remain as neutral as you possibly can for as long as you're able. The gods won't attack without warning, but that doesn't make them trustworthy. As for the demons, show no mercy, but stick to defense. They should leave you alone for the most part."

Kyuubi jumped off his seat and walked away from his ex-allies, not bothering to look back. All of a sudden, he was lonely again, even though there were intelligent beings just a few feet away, even though he knew those people in and out.

In the back of his mind, he noted that the tiger was following in his footsteps. So in the end, the only one to follow him was the beast.

The blond grinned sardonically, with narrowed eyes and thickening whisker marks. The irony was nearly overwhelming.

"After all, we all know who they're coming for."


	9. Oh Noes!

I'm sure it's no surprise to most of you, but I'd like to make it official. Echoes has been abandoned. Why? Because I've gotten better and it embarrasses me now. That's all.

I would've left it at that, but some people over at TFF (who shall remain nameless) kept pestering me about it until I had no choice but to submit to their despotic whims. But the spirit of the resistance lives in me, so I had no choice but to rewrite it if I was ever going to touch it again.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the storyline found itself savagely gutted and stuffed with something totally different. So while the two stories may seem similar, they actually differ enough to warrant a new title.

I originally wanted to call it Twilight, but everyone seemed particularly disgusted by that choice so I took someone's suggestion and named it Nightfall. So if you're interested, you can check my author profile for the new story.

Loki out.


End file.
